Fani Willis tears Georgia Republicans apart

A rift has formed among Republicans in Georgia over an attempt to defund or remove Fulton Count District Attorney Fani Willis following her criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump .

Willis earlier this month charged Trump and 18 co-defendants with crimes related to an alleged conspiracy to illegally overturn the result of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden by 11,779 votes. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of political “persecution”.

Republican Senator Colton Moore lashed out at Willis in the weeks following the indictments, demanding that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declare an emergency legislative session to investigate, defund and to attempt to impeach Willis.

Kemp, a Republican who has been a frequent target of Trump for his refusal to support discredited voter fraud conspiracy theories, opposed the call to declare a special session, saying at a press conference on Thursday that it was “not workable and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional.”

Moore lashed out at Kemp in a statement released hours after the press conference, accusing the governor of “not being honest with the people of Georgia” and of “letting his contempt for President Trump cloud his judgment.” He also claimed that Kemp had “obvious power to call an emergency session” over Willis.

“As the corrupt Fulton County District Attorney continues to target Donald Trump…I have only one question for the Governor: When are you going to stand with the people of Georgia and call the emergency session that your constituents are demanding?” Moore added.

When asked to comment on Moore’s statement, a Kemp spokesperson said information week, “The governor’s remarks earlier today speak for themselves.”

During his press conference, Kemp rejected calling a special session and said he had “not seen anything legally that I think (Willis) has done” that would even warrant an investigation.

Kemp did not explicitly name Moore but mentioned an “individual in the general assembly” who demanded “a special session that would ignore current Georgia law and directly interfere with the deliberations of a separate but equal branch of government” .

“In Georgia, we will not engage in political theater that will only inflame the emotions of the moment,” Kemp added. “We will do what is right. We will keep our oaths as public servants, and I believe our state will be better off for it.”

Kemp is far from the only Georgia Republican opposed to Moore’s request to use legislative power to investigate and potentially punish Willis.

On Wednesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives Jon Burns denounced efforts to “remove funding from a duly elected prosecutor of this state and his office for the purpose of interfering with the criminal justice system” in a statement. letter in the GOP caucus.

A letter posted on Republican Sen. Bo Hatchett’s Facebook page on Sunday informed voters that Republicans “do not have a sufficient majority to call a special session,” while accusing Moore of trying to “sell a false reality to voters” over Republicans. ability to punish Willis.

News week Thursday, he contacted the Republican Party of Georgia for comment via email.

During an appearance on the show by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Crisis unit On Tuesday, Moore claimed that the United States risked a “civil war” if Willis was not removed from funding, warning that he could be forced to “draw (his) gun” due to angry Trump supporters ” who are fighting him in the streets” if his demands have not been met.

Moore also asserted that Republicans “have the legislative authority to call in state troopers and bring these people in,” while slamming his less enthusiastic colleagues for allegedly being “totally afraid” of Kemp and finding “all the possible excuses” for not coming back. the call for a special session.