As news spread that former President Donald Trump and a group of 18 lawyers, operatives and campaign allies had been indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County in connection with the 2020 election, Republicans rallied to his defense. In contrast, Democrats have been eerily quiet on the indictments – with only a few state Democrats issuing statements.
Josh McKoon, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party was one of the first to issue a statement on the indictments.
“Does anyone believe that the indictment of former Presidents will stop at Donald Trump? Having normalized this with her unforgivable actions today, will Fani Willis cheer on her Republican prosecutorial colleagues when they use RICO to prosecute President Biden, his son Hunter, and others? And don’t forget when these investigations are launched the hundreds if not thousands of lives impacted.
“Laws need to be passed to reinforce safeguards to prevent this from ever happening again and the message should be sent loud and clear to Fani Willis and other prosecutors willing to tear up their oath of office to go after the “right people” that you will not be rewarded for this outrageous conduct.
“The Georgia Republican Party stands firmly on the side of a criminal justice system that does not have separate tracks depending on whether you have the “right” political views. We will fight against those who want to destroy the legal system that has been the envy of western democratic governments in service of their personal political agenda.”
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones came out with a strong statement against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who took the charges to a Grand Jury.
“The Fulton County District Attorney has spent millions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of man hours over the past two and a half years orchestrating a constant media and PR campaign for the sole purpose of furthering her own political career,” said Jones. “But all the while – for the past two and a half years – smash and grabs, homicides, shootings and break-ins have continued to go unchecked in Atlanta. How many criminals could have been locked up, how many break-ins could have been prevented, and how many lives could have been saved if the District Attorney had simply been going after real criminals and protecting our streets? While the
Fulton County District Attorney continues to pursue the political vendettas of the past – I have and will continue to look forward, solving the most pressing issues facing our city and state.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who was subpoenaed and testified Monday, was contacted for comment. James Magazine Online received the following comment from his spokesperson Kara Richardson: “Given the Attorney General was called to testify in this case in May 2022, our office will not be commenting.”
Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde, R-GA, issued the following statement: “Leftists seriously just indicted President Trump for tweeting and Mark Meadows for texting. This is precisely why Missouri is taking Joe Biden to task over his censorship regime. If the First Amendment goes, it all goes.”
JAMES Magazine Online attempted to contact several Democratic officials but received very few responses. Congresswoman Nikema Williams, D-GA, released the following statements – one as Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia and another on her Congressional website.
As DPG Chair, she said: “Anyone who tries to silence or subvert the voice of the people at the ballot box is attacking the very foundation of our democracy. In 2020, Georgians watched Trump try to overturn a free and fair election just because he didn’t like the results – and starting today, Georgians will watch him face accountability.”
On her website, Williams said: “After losing the free and fair 2020 election, the failed former president attempted to disenfranchise Georgia voters because he didn’t like the result. That was an assault on our democracy. Now, Donald Trump is facing the consequences of his actions. Too bad for him that in Fulton County we apply the law equally to everyone–even failed former presidents.”
Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen confirmed Monday she testified before the Fulton County grand jury’s investigation into Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn Georgia’s election.
In a statement released shortly after she left the Fulton County Courthouse she said: “No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy. We all have a duty to preserve our democracy. We owe this duty to the great individuals that fought and sacrificed to create and pass down this democracy to us, and we owe this duty to future generations that cannot pick up the mantle yet.”
