During a press conference in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp firmly rejected the idea of holding a special legislative session to remove District Attorney Fani Willis, an idea proposed by state Senator Colton Moore. Moore had suggested that a special session was necessary to prevent Willis from prosecuting former President Donald Trump on charges related to false election schemes, and he warned of a potential “civil war” if such actions were pursued.
Governor Kemp, during the press conference, addressed the historical context and comparisons being drawn to past events, including calls to overturn election results. Kemp stated that he had consistently refused to call a special session to overturn the 2020 election results and highlighted his commitment to following Georgia’s laws and constitution, regardless of political consequences.
Kemp acknowledged concerns regarding the handling of the case by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and mentioned the potential impact of highly charged indictments during an election. He expressed that such actions could fuel distrust and be perceived as politically motivated.
However, Kemp firmly stated that Georgia has established legal procedures to address concerns about local prosecutors engaging in unethical or illegal behavior. He emphasized that he had not seen any evidence to warrant action by the prosecuting attorney oversight commission in response to Willis’s actions.
“I did want to take just a few minutes to speak to some history that’s trying to repeat itself over the last few days here in Georgia,” Kemp began, before reiterating how he had repeatedly refused to call a special session to overturn the 2020 election results. Kemp continued:
Nearly three years later, memories are fading fast. There have been calls by one individual in the General Assembly and echoed outside of these walls by the former president for a special session that would ignore current Georgia law and directly interfere with the proceedings of a separate but equal branch of government.
Now, my concerns with the Fulton County District Attorney’s handling of this case in the special purpose grand jury have been well-documented. We are now seeing what happens when prosecutors move forward with highly charged indictments and trials in the middle of an election. Simply put, it sews distrust and provides easy pickings for those who see the district attorney’s action as guided by politics.
But let me be clear. 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. Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that D.A. Willis’ actions or lack thereof, warrant action by the prosecuting attorney oversight commission.
The governor concluded by reaffirming his commitment to upholding the law and the constitution in Georgia. He stated that regardless of political consequences, the state would not engage in political theater that serves only to inflame emotions.
