Trump retweeted a call to have him jailed, but Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia still won't say Trump lost the election
- Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a new interview that he was respecting the legal process and would say who won the 2020 US election "when all that plays out."
- His refusal to acknowledge Trump's defeat came during a week in which President Donald Trump retweeted a call for him to be jailed and tweeted that Kemp was a "clown" and a "fool."
Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia still won't say that President Donald Trump lost the 2020 US election, even after Trump called the Republican a "clown" and a "fool" this week and shared a tweet calling for him to be jailed.
In a new interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kemp stalled in response to questions related to Trump and the presidential election, saying he was respecting the legal process and would "reevaluate that when all that plays out."
President-elect Joe Biden's status was affirmed Monday when the Electoral College voted, prompting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to acknowledge the election results for the first time Tuesday.
After lawsuits by the Trump campaign and other backers failed in Georgia, Trump has turned his criticism toward Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in hopes that they overturn Biden's victory in the state.
"It's ridiculous, quite honestly, that many are blaming me for being responsible for what happened in the election," Kemp told The Journal-Constitution. Kemp also did not address Joe Biden as "president-elect."
"No one has worked harder for the president," he added. "I've said that many times, going into the election all the way through November 3, and I've supported his legal efforts under the laws and the Constitution. At the end of the day, I've also got to follow the same laws and the same Constitution."
Raffensperger recently called for a limited audit of signatures of mail-in ballots in Cobb County, which Kemp endorsed. Over the past month, Kemp issued at least three calls for a wider Georgia audit, which he reminded Trump of on Twitter.
In late November, Trump told Fox News he was ashamed to have endorsed Kemp and called on Rep. Doug Collins to challenge Kemp for governor in 2022.
And this week on Twitter, Trump's anger at Kemp was amplified.
"What a fool Governor @BrianKempGA of Georgia is," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Could have been so easy, but now we have to do it the hard way. Demand this clown call a Special Session and open up signature verification, NOW. Otherwise, could be a bad day for two GREAT Senators on January 5th."
Two days later, Trump retweeted a sinister warning from Lin Wood, who has filed lawsuits trying to overturn election results, which said: "President Trump is a genuinely good man. He does not really like to fire people. I bet he dislikes putting people in jail, especially 'Republicans.' He gave @BrianKempGA & @GaSecofState every chance to get it right. They refused. They will soon be going to jail."
The tweet included an altered picture of Kemp and Raffensperger in masks with the Chinese flag imprinted on them.
In the interview with The Journal-Constitution, Kemp also sidestepped Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud, which Raffensperger as well as other state and federal officials have rejected.