Last month, Fulton County DA Fani Willis brought charges against former and potentially future President Donald Trump and 18 other co-conspirators for actions to do with the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. This was the fourth indictment brought against Trump and is largely seen as election interference for the 2024 election, with Trump being President Joe Biden's likely opponent next November. Georgia creates a tricky situation for Trump, since the charges are state, not federal, and a pardon would have to come from a board, not the governor. Even if it were to come from the governor, the fraught relationship with Republican Brian Kemp may make for some complexities.
Days after the indictment, Republican state Sen. Colton Moore called for an emergency session "to review the actions of Fani Willis" in bringing the charges. He also circulated a petition noting, in part, "I am calling on my colleagues in the Georgia legislature to join me in calling for an emergency session to investigate and review her actions and determine if they warrant impeachment."
As a Georgia State Senator, I am officially calling for an emergency session to review the actions of Fani Willis.
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) August 17, 2023
America is under attack. I’m not going to sit back and watch as radical left prosecutors politically TARGET political opponents. pic.twitter.com/gpzg2l5uIU
When it comes to Kemp's response in the immediate aftermath, he had shared a TruthSocial post from Trump and took issue with his claims about the 2020 election, emphasizing the need to look ahead to the future, especially when it comes to the 2024 election.
The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) August 15, 2023
For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I… pic.twitter.com/jaru2iBDo7
"Kemp" is now trending on social media, as he's pushing back against those calls for a special session. During a Thursday press conference, as highlighted by NBC News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the governor also addressed how he had not called for special sessions with regards to the 2020 election results "because such an action would have been unconstitutional."
When it comes to specific concerns about Willis, Kemp pointed out that "up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis' actions, or lack thereof, warrant action by the Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission." He also referred to that special session to impeach Willis as "not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional."
Kemp also spoke about election integrity overall in his state. "In Georgia, we will not be engaging in political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment. We will do what is right. We will uphold our oath to public service. And it is my belief that our state will be better off for it," he shared.
His point about not wanting Georgia to "be engaging in political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment" is an interesting one, given that one could say that about what Willis is doing in bringing charges against Trump, as well as Special Counsel Jack Smith. The charges brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was the first to jump into the fray earlier this year, are particularly farcical.
Moore does not appear to be deterred, though. As the state senator told AJC's Greg Bluestein, he still plans on forcing a vote "on defunding Fani Willis."
“In Georgia, we will not be engaging in political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment. We will do what is right," Kemp said. "We will uphold our oath to public service. And it is my belief that our state will be better off for it.” #gapol https://t.co/mzBqU1FW1l
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) August 31, 2023
The senator behind the pro-Trump push told me he still plans to force votes "on defunding Fani Willis." "I represent the people of northwest Georgia. And those people don’t want their tax dollars contributing to this investigation.” #gapol https://t.co/rvKqdWBBvD
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) August 31, 2023
With such a rejection, it would appear that Kemp is not heeding the call from some conservatives looking to fight fire with fire in demanding that Republicans go after Democrats in a similar manner. On August 15, Charlie Kirk had an op-ed published with The Federalist, "How Should Republicans Respond To Fulton County? Indict The Left."
Beyond concerns over the charges when it comes to the 2024 election, some are looking to make connections to the Republican presidential primary.
Trump supporter Alex Bruesewitz tweeted out a screenshot of the NBC News article mentioned above, but also of a POLITICO article from late last month in the days following the indictment, "DeSantis meets privately with Kemp in Georgia." Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is also running in the primary, and is currently a distant second in Georgia and at the national level, according to polls.
Not surprised that Kemp is supporting the political persecution of @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/UdIG4ITxsq
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) August 31, 2023
Georgia is an interesting state for 2024, and not merely because of the indictments. Following Trump's narrow loss to Biden in 2020, and the state electing two Democratic senators, Georgia is now considered a battleground, at least at the federal level. Thursday's VIP piece mentioned as much when covering a poll Trump shared over TruthSocial showing him with a considerable lead in the Georgia primary.
Kemp was reelected handily in 2022, after fending off a primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue, who was backed by Trump and who had lost his runoff election to now Sen. Jon Ossoff in January 2021. Kemp beat Perdue with 73.7 percent of the vote to Kemp's 21.8 percent. In the general election, he once more defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in a rematch of 2018, with 53.4 percent to her 45.9 percent, expanding his margin of victory from the previous match up between them.