Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday rejected a plea from state Republicans remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after former President Donald Trump’s indictment for alleged election interference.
In a press conference in Georgia on Thursday, the Republican governor who has sometimes been at odds with President Trump stated that he wouldn’t hold a special legislative session to oust Ms. Willis. The governor said he hasn’t seen any evidence that an attempt to impeach Ms. Willis could be “unconstitutional” or “unfeasible.”
“We have a law in the state of Georgia that clearly outlines the legal steps that can be taken if constituents believe their local prosecutors are violating their oath by engaging in unethical or illegal behavior,” Mr. Kemp said Thursday. “As long as I am governor, we’re going to follow the law and the Constitution, regardless of who it helps or harms politically,” he added.
Earlier this month, as President Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted, some Georgia state lawmakers have suggested a special session to remove Ms. Willis, although a conviction would require a two-thirds majority vote in the state Senate. The state GOP likely wouldn’t have enough votes in the upper chamber, making it an uphill fight.
One Republican lawmaker, Clint Dixon, said earlier this month that he believes the indictments are “all about Fani Willis and her unabashed goal to become some sort of leftist celebrity,” suggesting she be ousted from office. Meanwhile, Republican Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore asked Mr. Kemp in a letter to call a special session to investigate Ms. Willis for “potentially abusing her position of power by pursuing former President Donald J. Trump.”
But Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican, signaled that he doesn’t want to defund the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, as suggested by several of his GOP colleagues, according to a letter he wrote. The speaker then claimed that the effort to go after Ms. Willis should not take precedent over damage that was done in southern Georgia by Hurricane Idalia, which hit multiple southeastern U.S. states on Wednesday.
“While this real-time crisis unfolds, unfortunately, we continue to have a few members of the General Assembly making misleading or false claims about the General Assembly’s lawful powers regarding an ongoing criminal case before our Judiciary,” he wrote. “It is an unfortunate reality of today’s politics that theatrics sometimes garner more attention than genuine human needs like those that will unfold today in south and coastal Georgia.”
Rocky Relationship
Since 2020, the relationship between Mr. Kemp and the former president has been on rocky terms, after Mr. Kemp claimed that there was no voter fraud during the presidential election that year. He also refused to hold a special legislative session at President Trump’s request over election irregularities
President Trump has since described Mr. Kemp as a “RINO,” or “Republican in name only,” and last year, he called the Georgia governor “the worst ‘election integrity’ Governor in the country.” In 2018, Mr. Kemp received President Trump’s support while he was campaigning for governor against Democratic activist Stacey Abrams.
“Brian Kemp is a turncoat, a coward, and a complete and total disaster,” the 45th president told a crowd in March 2022 while he supported Mr. Kemp’s then-primary challenger. “Before we can defeat the Democrats, socialists and communists … we first have to defeat the RINO sellouts and the losers in the primaries this spring,” he also said.
Earlier this month, however, Mr. Kemp again claimed that the 2020 election “was not stolen,” apparently referring to President Trump’s claims. “Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor,” he said.
On Thursday, President Trump entered a not guilty plea to all charges in Fulton County and waived his right to be present during the arraignment. Last week, the former president’s mugshot was taken, which he immediately used for campaign merchandise and to produce his first post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in more than two years.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set arraignment hearings for the President Trump and the 18 others charged in the case for Sept. 6. A court filing waiving arraignment means he won’t have to show up for that.
Several other people charged in the indictment had already waived arraignment in filings with the court, saving them a trip to the courthouse in downtown Atlanta. At least two defendants have filed demands for a speedy trial and have asked to be tried separately from others in the case.
As the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, President Trump has criticized the cases against him as part of a politically motivated attempt to keep him from winning back the White House in 2024. He’s also facing charges in three other cases, including two relating to special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations as well as charges that were brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
