Georgia Secretary of State Prods ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Creator, Larry David, for Plotline Poking Fun at State’s Election Laws
‘We apologize if you didn’t receive celebrity treatment at the local jail,’ Brad Raffensperger says. ‘I’m afraid they’ve gotten used to bigger stars.’
The Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, doesn’t seem to appreciate an ongoing joke at the expense of the state’s election laws that is at the center of the final season of Larry David’s HBO series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
In the show, the main character, played by Mr. David, is arrested for giving a friend a bottle of water while she waits in a line to vote, a violation of one of Georgia’s election laws. The arrest, which happens in the first episode of the show’s 12th season, results in a trial looming over the entire season, which is set to end this Sunday.
In a letter first obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mr. Raffensperger bounces off the storyline, writing in his capacity as the state’s chief election officer that “we would like to congratulate you on becoming the first, and to our knowledge, only person arrested for distributing water bottles to voters within 150 feet of a polling station.”
Mr. Raffensperger also appears to prod at the former president’s now infamous mug shot, saying that the local jail is “the TMZ of mugshots.”
“We apologize if you didn’t receive celebrity treatment at the local jail,” Mr. Raffensperger said. “I’m afraid they’ve gotten used to bigger stars.”
The digs at President Trump don’t stop there. Mr. Raffensperger then references Mr. Trump’s notorious call to the secretary of state, during which he said, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.”
Mr. Raffensperger writes to Mr. David, “I know you’ve received a lot of attention related to your actions in a Georgia election. Believe me, I understand.”
“And while my powers as Secretary of State to perform miracles are often overstated, I’m afraid I lack the authority to grant a pardon — even if you call me to ask for one,” Mr. Raffensperger writes.