PAULDING COUNTY, Georgia – A Florida attorney is the focus of a new state investigation after election officials said he recently attempted to register in Georgia and instructed other Florida Republicans how to do so.
Bill Price can be seen in a now-deleted live Facebook video of speaking to Bay County, Florida GOP members on Nov. 7. It was about half an hour after the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket election was called.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed the video is being investigated and released the following statement on Thursday:
“Make no mistake, anyone who tries to undermine the integrity of the elections in Georgia will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Raffensperger said. “Those who move to Georgia just to vote in the Senate election without intending to remain are committing a crime that can result in imprisonment and heavy fines. You will be found, examined and punished. “
Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr taped the nearly hour-long video Tuesday afternoon at the center of the investigation, just before it was deleted.
Price begins by sharing his legal expertise with the crowd, telling them that lawsuits challenging the presidential race are likely to fail.
“I would like to tell you that there are legal ways to succeed in court, but as a realist and even as a lawyer, I know that just won’t happen,” he said.
Instead, Price encouraged the crowd to work towards a “billion-man” march at the state capitol, show up in Atlanta on election day and move around if they can.
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“We absolutely have to hold the Senate and start fighting back and we have to do whatever it takes,” Price said in the video. “And if that means you have to change your address for the next two months, so be it. I’m doing this. I’m moving to Georgia and I’m going to fight and I want you all to fight me. “
Price told the group he was moving to his brother’s address in Hiram, Georgia, to run for the January runoff election. He repeats and spells his brother’s name and address as the group members write it down. While some are writing, you can hear them mumbling the address in the background.
“Can we really register at this address?” Asks a woman.
“Sure,” Price replies, adding that they must be planning to show a train and suggesting that they sent emails there.
“And can you register anywhere in the state of Georgia?” Asks another woman. “So if you have cousins, dogs, cats who live elsewhere, doesn’t it have to be in a certain county?”
“Yes,” Price replies. “This will be a nationwide election on January 5th. I will vote for Kelly Loeffler? ”(In the recording, his voice suggests a question as he mispronounces the Senator’s last name). “And David Perdue.”
A woman also asked about the deadline for registration in Georgia. Price said he wasn’t sure about needing to check, but offers advice on how to do it online.
“This can be done online, or you can mail your ballot to your new address in Georgia,” Price said. You just go to the Georgia State Secretary of State’s website and register to vote. “
“If you need a driver’s license, I’ll get a driver’s license,” he said. “If you need mail, I’ll have mail there.”
“We have to win this election in Georgia, so I’m moving into my brother’s house in Hiram, Georgia and registering to vote,” Price says. “And we will win this election in January.”
“That has to be done. If you don’t wanna do it, fine. Might as well move to Venezuela now, ”he said. “Get used to this lifestyle, because that is still to come.”
When Carr emailed Price Tuesday night, he denied he was serious about the move.
“Thank you for getting in touch. I haven’t changed my voter registration and I don’t have 2 million roommates, “Price wrote, referring to a joke he once told while we were talking about millions coming to him in Georgia. “But if my humorous comments draw attention to the massive and widespread electoral fraud in Georgia, I would tell you that it is a good thing.”
But Channel 2 confirmed that the day after his speech, Price registered to vote using his brother’s Hiram address and swearing on an affidavit that he was Georgia resident and eligible to vote.
“When we know clearly it’s not,” said Deidre Holden, Paulding County’s polling officer.
Holden said Wednesday that Price’s voter registration is pending. Her office prepared to write to him asking him to bring his driver’s license to “heal” and complete the registration, as the information was made available last month.
On Monday morning, Holden had been contacted by state election investigators who had marked Price’s registration address in Georgia. You shared the video with her. She said the electoral committee would hold a special meeting next week to make sure Price’s registration doesn’t go into action.
Holden, a Republican, said Carr Price’s intent was clear on the video and it was disturbing to hear him instruct the group, saying he plans to return to Florida on Jan. 6.
“What is this message to our children, our grandchildren, and our neighbors that if you don’t win an election, you can just go out and steal one?” Asked Holden. “And that’s totally unacceptable here in Georgia.”
Carr was at Price’s brother’s house on Wednesday. He confirmed that he had been contacted by state investigators but had not seen the video.
“It was just a wink,” said Fredrick Price of his brother’s remarks. “Here is nothing. “
“Some of them were winking,” said Carr. “The other thing was specific instructions.
“No,” Price replied.
“It wasn’t a joke,” said Carr.
“OK, but no,” Price answered. “
“Okay, thanks, sir,” said Carr.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Jordan Fuchs confirmed that the office would investigate charges of criminal offenses related to fraudulent voter registration in Georgia.
Georgian officials have been warning for weeks that registering to vote without attempting to stay in Georgia could result in criminal charges that could result in up to ten years in prison and a fine of $ 100,000.
“This is not California,” said Fuchs. “We are actually investigating and trying to prosecute people who try to vote illegally here. Our system is designed to prevent this behavior – we will try to fully prosecute the prosecution. “
Carr reached out to the Bay County GOP to see if the group announced to members that Price was being investigated and that his proposals for temporary electoral movements were illegal. At the time it was broadcast on Wednesday, channel 2 had not received a response.
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