DOJ special counsel contacts Kemp, former Arizona governor in Jan. 6 probe: reports

by Nick Robertson - 07/22/23 8:20 AM ET

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has been contacted by the federal special counsel investigating former President Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Kemp’s office confirmed Friday.

Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) was also contacted for the investigation, according to CNN reports.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and his actions related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. He served Trump a target letter on Sunday, informing the former president that he is the target of the probe.

The move shows overlap between Smith’s federal investigation and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s investigation into the same conduct in Georgia.

A spokesperson for Kemp’s office confirmed that he had been contacted by Smith, but did not give further details, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Smith’s probe in Arizona is questioning lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign against the state which alleged that the election was fraudulent. Smith subpoenaed the Arizona Secretary of State’s office earlier this month and subpoenaed state lawmakers in February.

Trump called Ducey multiple times to pressure him to overturn Arizona’s election results. President Biden won Arizona, the first time the state voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1996.

Willis’ Fulton County investigation centers on a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the 2020 election, instructing him to “find” enough votes to overturn the result. A grand jury has been empaneled in that case and any charges are expected to be filed by Sept. 1.

Smith and his team questioned Raffensperger last month as part of their investigation.

Kemp, who has supported Trump in the past, avoided endorsing Trump’s claims that the election in Georgia was in some way flawed. Both he and Raffensperger resisted Trump’s requests to change the 2020 election results in the state.

Trump endorsed Kemp’s primary opponent in 2022, but Kemp won the primary easily and went on to win reelection.