Kemp dismisses calls for special session to oust Willis

Governor: "I have not seen any evidence" to punish Fulton DA

Brian Kemp

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday dismissed calls for a special legislative session to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from her post in the wake of her indictment of former President Donald Trump. He also had pointed words for the Republican lawmaker who is leading the push.

The governor held a news conference in his ceremonial office with the director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to provide updates on the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia. He was also asked about longshot efforts to punish or even remove Willis from office through a special session, a debate that has divided state GOP leadership this week.

State Sen. Colton Moore, a conservative Republican lawmaker from rural northwest Georgia, has been circulating a petition urging Kemp to call lawmakers back to Atlanta to punish Willis. The petition needs the support of three-fifths of both chambers — which means some Democrats will need to sign on.

Moore has also suggested that putting former President Trump on trial could lead to a civil war. “Do you want a civil war? I don’t want a civil war. I don’t want to have to draw my rifle,” Sen. Moore said. “I want to make this problem go away with my legislative means of doing so.”

Kemp rejected calls for a special session to oust Willis at Thursday’s presser, reminding reporters that he rejected similar calls for a special session in late 2020 to overturn the results of that year’s presidential election.

“Fast forward today, nearly three years later, memories are fading fast,” he said, referring to calls by “one individual in the General Assembly” to hold a special session. He said such an action would “ignore current Georgia law and directly interfere with the proceedings of a separate but equal branch of government.”

The governor added that while his concerns about Willis’ handling of the investigation are “well-documented,” there are lawful ways for her critics to express their opposition to the sweeping indictment.

“Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis’ actions — or lack thereof — warrant action by the Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission,” he said in reference to a new state law giving an outside panel the power to sanction local prosecutors. “But that will ultimately be a decision that the commission will make.”

Kemp also railed against these kinds of “distractions” and said that his party will continue to lose elections if they cannot stay focused.

“The last time we were talking about special sessions here in the state of Georgia, just a few weeks later the Republican majority lost two U.S. Senate races,” the governor noted.

He said that his party should focus on pocketbook issues and public safety if they want to win elections, and not “some grifter scam that somebody’s doing to help them raise a few dollars into their campaign account.”

Georgia Republicans have been at odds over how (and if) Willis should be punished ever since the indictments were announced earlier this month. Some Republicans have said that they would like to reduce or eliminate funding for the Fulton DA’s office. One top Republican warned that this could have “unintended consequences.”

Kemp suggested that all 50 of Georgia’s DAs are funded in the same budget, so reducing funding for one office would impact all of them.

There has also been a push to impeach Willis. But there has not been an impeachment trial in the state senate in several decades, and a vote of conviction would require the support of two-thirds (38) of the 56 state senators.