Brian Kemp Contacted By DOJ Team Investigating Trump’s Attempts To Overturn 2020 Election
Special Counsel Jack Smith‘s team investigating former President Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election has contacted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Trump encouraged Kemp during the election to overturn the results after narrowly losing the swing state to Joe Biden. At the time, Kemp refused and denounced Trump’s efforts, leading to the GOP leader to endorse a challenger in Kemp’s 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary.
The Justice Department contacted Kemp’s office earlier this week, according to CNN. A spokesperson for the governor released a statement on Saturday confirming the news.
“I can confirm our office has been contacted by Jack Smith’s office, but we will decline to comment further at this time,” said Andrew Isenhour, a spokesman for Kemp, in a statement.
Moreover, Smith’s team has been in touch with former Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who was also pressured by Trump to overturn the results in his state while in office.
Federal investigators are focused on Trump’s efforts, as well as those of his top lawyers as they organized fake electors to submit votes to Congress on his behalf and sought to sway then-Vice President Mike Pence into blocking the election result certification.
Trump received a target letter in Smith’s investigation last Sunday, and his team is now bracing for an indictment in the case.
The target letter cites three statutes that Trump could be charged with: pertaining to deprivation of rights; conspiracy to commit an offense against or defraud the United States; and tampering with a witness, according to multiple news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, that cited a person familiar with the matter.
The former president also face federal charges related to his handling of classified material after leaving the White House. If convicted he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
