Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp dismisses GOP calls for special session to impeach DA Fani Willis
“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," Kemp said during a news conference.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday rejected calls from several far-right state lawmakers for a special legislative session to potentially impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, after former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants were
indicted on felony charges as part of her sweeping investigation into their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
During a
news conference Thursday, Kemp noted that he had
previously rejected calls for a special session of the state General Assembly to overturn the 2020 election results “because such an action would have been unconstitutional.”
He then excoriated an unnamed individual in the General Assembly for calling a special session that he said “would ignore current Georgia law and directly interfere with the proceedings of a separate but equal branch of government.”
Kemp stressed that he has not “seen any evidence” that Willis’ actions were unlawful.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Kemp said a special session to impeach Willis is “not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional.”
“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 and harms politically,” he said. “Over the last few years, some inside and outside of this building may have forgotten that. But I can assure you that I have not.”
Kemp added: “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.”
Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore, vice chairman of the state Freedom Caucus, is
spearheading calls for Kemp to hold a special legislative session to impeach Willis after a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and top allies with felony racketeering and numerous conspiracy counts. Willis enlisted a special grand jury last year that heard testimony from 75 witnesses.
Trump praised Moore's push for the special session to impeach Willis in a
post on Truth Social last week.
The offices of Willis and Moore and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kemp, a former Trump ally, broke with the former president over his baseless claims of widespread election fraud in the battleground state.
Weeks after the 2020 election, Kemp’s office
confirmed that Trump called the governor and tried to pressure him to order a special session of the state Legislature to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia.
Kemp testified last year before the special grand jury in the probe launched by Willis in 2021 into whether Trump and his allies engaged in election interference in Georgia. Kemp’s testimony came after a Georgia judge
denied his bid to avoid testifying before the grand jury.
The Georgia governor's office also confirmed last month that he was
contacted by special counsel Jack Smith’s office in its investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results. A grand jury in Washington, D.C., this month
returned a four-count indictment criminally charging Trump with attempts to defraud the United States.
“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," Kemp said during a news conference.
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