[guest post by Dana]
Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday rejected a plea from state Republicans to oust Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis following former President Donald Trump’s criminal indictment for election interference, marking a blow to Trump as he pleads not guilty to all charges.
In a press conference in Georgia, Kemp said he would refuse to hold a special session of the state legislature to remove Willis, who Trump has repeatedly called out in a series of tirades on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing her of being out to “get Trump.”
A large swath of prominent Republicans consistently react to efforts of accountability for the former president by attacking those responsible for the decision to investigate and prosecute him. Ultimately, and with few exceptions (see: Gov. Kemp) these Republicans reflexively continue to follow Trump’s lead in their capacity by echoing his eternal rallying cry: Witch Hunt!
Meanwhile, Trump wants to sever his Georgia case from Sydney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, the only defendants who have requested speedy trials at this point in time:
Former President Donald Trump is seeking to sever his criminal election interference case in Georgia from any of his 18 co-defendants who are demanding that the case proceed quickly to trial, a Thursday court filing showed.
…
Trump earlier Thursday also waived his right to appear at his arraignment scheduled for next week.
“Respectfully, requiring less than two months preparation time to defend a 98-page indictment, charging 19 defendants, with 41 various charges including a RICO conspiracy charge with 161 Overt Acts, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, False Statements and Writings, Forgery, Influencing Witnesses, Computer Crimes, Conspiracy to Defraud the State, and other offenses would violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” Sadow wrote.
So far, I can’t locate a statement from Trump re Gov. Kemp’s decision this morning. However, after this many years of being entangled in Trump drama, pretty sure we already know what his reaction will be.
–Dana