Georgia’s Elected Republicans on Trump Indictment: We Told You, No Fraud

Georgia’s leading elected state officials, who are Republicans, reacted Tuesday to Monday’s late-night indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 other lawyers, aides, and supporters by reiterating that there was no voter fraud in 2020.

Gov. Brian Kemp (R) posted a tweet in response to a Truth Social post by the former president. Kemp did not object to the indictment — which critics have said violates constitutional norms and criminalizes free speech — but to Trump’s 2020 claims.

Secretary of State Brad Raffesnperger, whose infamous phone conversation with Trump (in which the former president said “I just want to find” the votes to win, not “Find me the votes”) helped trigger the grand jury investigation, made a statement: “The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t.”

Raffensperger did not clarify how, exactly, indicting a former president, and the leading opposition candidate in the next election, plus his attorneys, for contesting a vote meant upholding the rule of law or the Constitution.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was once considered to be among the targets of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought the indictment, was an exception. He tweeted in objection to the indictment, noting the rise of crime in Fulton County: