Kemp pushes back on promised Trump fraud report: ‘The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen’

by Lauren Sforza - 08/15/23 1:18 PM ET

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) pushed back on former President Trump’s plans to present new evidence next week that there was “presidential election fraud” in the state’s 2020 election.

“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen,” Kemp posted on X, formerly 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. 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,” he added, alongside a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post promising a fraud report.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon at The Classic Center, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Trump said Tuesday that he plans to reveal his “large, complex, detailed, but irrefutable” report at a press conference in Bedminster, N.J., next Monday, noting this report should result in the charges dropped against him and 18 others in the state.

“Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others — There will be a complete EXONERATION! They never went after those that Rigged the Election,” Trump wrote. “They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) unveiled a 98-page indictment Monday evening charging Trump and 18 others over their actions related to efforts to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results. Trump faces 13 counts, ranging from issuing false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering.

Willis said Trump and the other co-defendants — including lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell — have until noon on Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender. She said she hoped to schedule a single trial for all of the defendants within the next six months.

More Trump Georgia indictment coverage

Kemp was also contacted last month by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who was in charge of the investigation looking into Trump’s overall attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president was charged with four federal counts related to those efforts earlier this month, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. among other crimes.

The Georgia governor has supported Trump in the past but has avoided promoting the former president’s claims that his state’s election in 2020 was stolen. He and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted Trump’s requests to change the results in the state.