The federal special counsel’s office has reached out to the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, as part of its ongoing investigation into ex-President Trump’s alleged endeavors to overturn the results of the 2020 election. This was confirmed by a representative from Kemp’s office on Friday.
Alongside Kemp, former Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey, has also been contacted in relation to this inquiry, as per news reports from CNN.
Jack Smith, the Special Counsel, is directing a probe into Trump’s alleged election interference and his purported role in the events of January 6. On Sunday, he issued a letter to Trump indicating that he is a primary focus of the investigation.
The federal investigation, led by Smith, and a parallel probe by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia, appear to share common threads.
While Kemp’s office has confirmed being approached by Smith, further details were not disclosed, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The focus of Smith’s investigation in Arizona lies on the lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign against the state, claiming election fraud. Earlier this month, subpoenas were issued to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, and to state legislators in February.
Trump reportedly made multiple attempts to influence Ducey to challenge Arizona’s election outcome. Arizona backed President Biden, marking the state’s first support for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1996.
The investigation in Fulton County, led by Willis, is focused on a call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger post the 2020 election, urging him to “find” sufficient votes to reverse the election outcome. A grand jury has been assembled in this case, with any impending charges anticipated to be filed by September 1st.
Last month, Raffensperger was interrogated by Smith and his team as part of their investigation.
Kemp, a past supporter of Trump, refrained from backing Trump’s allegations of irregularities in the Georgia election. He, alongside Raffensperger, resisted Trump’s pressure to alter the state’s 2020 election outcome.
Trump publicly supported Kemp’s primary opponent in 2022, but Kemp prevailed in the primary and subsequently secured his re-election.
