Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced on Thursday that he would not convene a special session of the state legislature with the intention of undermining the prosecution led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis against Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, saying that as long as he’s governor he “will follow the law.”
Kemp delivered these comments as part of a briefing concerning the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. He reminded the citizens of Georgia of his previous stance, emphasizing that in the final weeks of 2020, he had unequivocally stated multiple times that he would refrain from summoning a special session of the General Assembly to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election due to its unconstitutional nature. Looking at the present day, nearly three years later, he noted that memories of that time are fading.
“Many of you will recall that in the final weeks of 2020, I clearly and repeatedly said that I would not be calling a special session of the General Assembly to overturn the 2020 election results because such an action would have been unconstitutional,” Kemp said. “It was that simple. Fast forward to today, nearly three years later, memories are fading fast.”
Kemp acknowledged that certain legislators had suggested the possibility of calling a special session to address Willis’s actions. However, he clarified that he had yet to encounter any evidence indicating that the actions or inactions of DA Willis warranted intervention from the Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission.
“Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis’s actions or lack thereof warrant action by the Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission,” he said. “Regardless, in my mind, a special session of the General Assembly to end run around this law is not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional.”
Kemp concluded by emphasizing his commitment to upholding the law and the Constitution in Georgia for the duration of his tenure as governor, irrespective of the political beneficiaries or consequences of such actions.
“The bottom line is that in the state of Georgia, as long as I’m governor, we’re going to follow the law and the Constitution, regardless of who it helps or harms politically,” Kemp added.
Take a look:
