Trump Commits 'Brazen Election Interference' In Newly Released Phone Call, Says Former Suffolk County Sheriff

Election 2020 Georgia Vote Counting — An election worker handles ballots as vote counting in the general election continues at State Farm Arena on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Atlanta.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

March 11, 2021

Updated August 07, 2023

A newly released phone call from last December reveals former President Donald Trump pushing Frances Watson, chief investigator for the Georgia’s Secretary of State’s Office, to find voter fraud. Trump is heard to say on the call, "Whatever you can do, Frances, it would be — it's a great thing. When the right answer comes out, you'll be praised."

Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the call and how it can implicate Trump.

"This is the president of the United States calling a very local elections official and openly coercing them," she said. "This is brazen election interference."

The public has become too accustomed to the "insanity" of Trump's behavior, Cabral added. "There really aren't enough words to describe this level of corruption," she said. "It's a study into how desperate he is to hang onto the presidency."

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis recently announced a criminal investigation into whether there was election interference in Georgia by Trump or others.

Andrea Cabral is a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. She's the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety, and she's currently CEO of the cannabis company Ascend.