(The Center Square) — The fourth indictment against former President Donald Trump, this time in Georgia, sent shockwaves through political circles.
On Monday, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and others on charges they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
“Another day, another court, and another missed opportunity to talk about the future of our great nation,” U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Georgia, said in a statement to The Center Square. “These distractions have eroded confidence in the judicial system while threatening our Party’s opportunity to win back the White House in 2024. That’s why we must focus on the issues that matter most to American families – border security, law and order, economic opportunity – not on the past. To do that, we must unite around proven leaders with a bold vision for America.”
Unsurprisingly, Georgia Democrats blasted the former president.
“Anyone who tries to silence or subvert the voice of the people at the ballot box is attacking the very foundation of our democracy,” Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Congresswoman Nikema Williams said in a statement. “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.”
The DPG did not respond to a request for comment on whether it would ask failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to apologize for comments she made following the 2018 election.
However, Trump didn’t receive much support from Georgia Republicans.
“The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said in a statement. “You either have it, or you don’t.”
Raffensperger’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent leak of information on the Fulton County website.
Spokespeople for Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr, all Republicans, did not respond to requests for comment.
“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen,” Kemp posted on the site previously known as Twitter.
“For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward – under oath – and prove anything in a court of law,” the governor added. “Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.”
The case will likely cost Fulton County taxpayers, who are on the hook for covering the cost of the prosecution, Erick Erickson told listeners on his nationally syndicated radio show.
According to budget documents, for fiscal 2023, on Jan. 18, the Fulton County Commission adopted a $41.6 million budget for the district attorney’s office, a 28.3% increase from $32.4 million in fiscal 2022. The total includes an additional $4.7 million in revised changes to the proposed budget on Jan. 18.
