As deadly riots raged at the US Capitol on Wednesday, President Donald Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani both inadvertently called Republican Sen. Mike Lee. But the calls, which were frantic attempts to delay the counting of Electoral College votes, were intended for another GOP senator, a spokesman for Sen. Lee confirmed to CNN.
According to CNN, Lee’s spokesman said the calls from the president and his attorney were intended for Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a newly elected senator from Alabama.
As an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, ransacking the place and overpowering police officers in their quest to delay proceedings, President Trump worked to convince Tuberville to delay the process. Trump didn’t bother to check on Vice President Mike Pence, who was sheltering inside the iconic building, along with his family, a source close to Pence told CNN.
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Shortly after 2 p.m. ET, after many Senators had been evacuated from the Senate floor and were sequestered in a temporary holding room, Trump called Lee’s cell phone and identified himself. Realizing the president had mistakenly been given his number and actually wanted to speak with Tuberville, Lee put the president on hold and sought out his colleague, handing him his phone, and explaining that Trump was on the line.
The call between Trump and Tuberville lasted less than ten minutes with the president shamelessly trying to convince him to strongly object to the Electoral College vote in a futile effort to block Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden, according to a source familiar with the call. The call ended abruptly when the group of senators were herded off to a more secure location.
When a second call to Lee came in at 7 p.m. ET from Giuliani, he did not answer, and the call went to voicemail. Lee’s office confirmed to CNN that the voicemail was intended for Tuberville and the message left from Giuliani was very similar to one that another unnamed GOP senator received. The transcript of that call was published by the conservative outlet, The Dispatch.
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“Sen. Tuberville? Or I should say Coach Tuberville. This is Rudy Giuliani, the President’s lawyer,” he said according to to the transcript. “I’m calling you because I want to discuss with you how they’re trying to rush this hearing and how we need you, our Republican friends, to try to just slow it down so we can get these legislatures to get more information to you,” Giuliani said, referring to unfounded claims of voter fraud in the presidential election.
“I know they’re reconvening at 8 tonight, but it … the only strategy we can follow is to object to numerous states and raise issues so that we get ourselves into tomorrow — ideally until the end of tomorrow.”
Tuberville had no idea that Giuliani had tried to reach him until it was publicly reported, according to the source.
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