Rep. Carter clarifies why he objected to certifying election results after riot

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - During the attack at the U.S. Capitol, WTOC spoke to Representative Buddy Carter who in the moment said he was safe, condemned the rioters, but said what happened would not change his stance on the certification process.

Rep. Carter said his issue is with the changes made to the election process in Georgia and not about the outcome of the election.

But in statements released by Rep. Carter and during the joint session Wednesday, he appeared to contradict that stance.

Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, Rep. Carter released a statement saying he planned to object to the certification of the electoral votes from the state of Georgia, saying in part “Additionally, members of the Georgia General Assembly continue to raise serious allegations of voting irregularities.”

Within an hour, an angry mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol interrupting the Joint Session.

During that interruption, Rep. Carter said this about his plan to object.

“I have not said anything about widespread irregularities. I’ve not said anything about fraud in the elections,” Rep. Carter said.

But later that night, when the moment finally came to object, Rep. Carter stood up in support of the Georgia delegation led by Representative Jody Hice (R-Greensboro). {Rep. Jody Hice (R-Greensboro)}

“Object to the electoral votes in the state of Georgia on the grounds that the election conducted on November 3rd was faulty and fraudulent,” Rep. Hice said.

WTOC asked Rep. Carter if he supported that statement.

“I didn’t hear all of what Rep. Hice had to say, but what he is essentially saying is as a result of what the (Georgia) Secretary of State did. The significant and substantial changes that he made to the election process without the consent of the General Assembly resulted in these voter irregularities. That was his part of it. Now, granted, I signed on to that. I never said that it was a fraudulent election or the results of the election. What I’ve questioned is the process itself,” Rep. Carter said.

The issue he raised is a state issue, not federal. Meaning it’s outside his scope as a congressman.

Rep. Carter said he hopes the issue is addressed in the upcoming session by the Georgia General Assembly.

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