Gov. Brian Kemp said he spoke to investigators with the special counsel prosecuting former President Donald Trump on charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election.
Kemp told CNN that he spoke with Jack Smith’s office months ago about the same issues that he was questioned about in 2022 by the Fulton County special grand jury: “That I follow the law and the Constitution and answered all their questions truthfully.”
The second-term Republican is expected to be a key witness in Fulton County’s election-interference trial against Trump and 14 remaining co-defendants because for his role in resisting Trump’s demands to overturn his defeat.
Kemp faced a barrage of attacks in late 2020 from Trump and his allies after he refused their calls to illegally convene a special legislative session to undo Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia. Kemp said that state law barred him from “interfering.”
Kemp subsequently became a frequent punching bag at Trump rallies. The president said he was “ashamed” to have endorsed Kemp in 2018, and recruited former U.S. Sen. David Perdue to wage an ultimately doomed primary challenge against him.
Unlike Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whose Jan. 2, 2021 conversation with Trump was recorded, the details of Kemp’s behind-the-scenes interactions with the commander-in-chief are largely unknown.
Kemp told CNN that his conversation with Smith’s office took place months ago and “didn’t last that long.” He also was skeptical of Trump’s argument to the U.S. Supreme Court that he is absolutely immune from criminal charges.
“I don’t think anybody’s above the law,” Kemp said. “A Democrat, a Republican, an independent, myself or anybody else. That’s my personal opinion.”
About the Author
