Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, is taking plenty of heat tonight on social media after announcing that he will move to certify Georgia’s results of the 2020 election, meaning that it will cement former Vice President Joe Biden as the winner of the typically-red state.
According to the Washington Examiner, Kemp made the announcement on Friday that the state will seal the deal for Biden, who won the state by roughly 12,000 votes — the slimmest of margins in a presidential election. Kemp added that the certification “paves the way for the Trump campaign to pursue other legal options and a separate recount.”
News of the governor’s agreement to certify the results came after a six-day recount, in which not enough votes were found to give Trump an advantage in the state.
Advertisement - story continues below
Kemp has often been the target of President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Coupled with allegations of fraud from the Trump campaign and other Republicans, the Georgia governor remained mostly quiet as the recount process was completed.
“Wow! Governor Kemp will hopefully see the light before it is too late. Must finally take charge! Two GREAT Senators, who do so much for Georgia and truly love the USA, are in a must win battle with two incompetents who don’t have a clue!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
TRENDING: Chief Justice John Roberts Will Not Preside Over Trump Impeachment Trial: Here's Who Will
In the wake of several Georgia counties being involved in a situation where memory cards with votes on them were mysteriously not uploaded, Kemp commented on that matter at a press conference.
“We cannot have lost memory cards or stacks of uncounted ballots,” Kemp said. “Every legal vote must be counted, and the security of the ballot box must be protected.”
Advertisement - story continues below
Kemp’s acknowledgment that it’s time to certify came on the heels of a certification by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who expressed confidence on Friday that the final numbers after the recount were accurate.
“Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don’t lie,” Raffensperger said.
“As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct,” he added. “The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state’s office, or of courts, or of either campaign.”
Many on Trump’s side have accused Raffensperger of colluding with Democrats to help Biden win the state, even though he’s been a lifelong Republican. Not surprisingly, Raffensperger has strongly denied anything of the sort. It was reported earlier that Raffensperger and his family have received death threats in the wake of Georgia’s election outcome.
The Trump campaign legal team still has options that they can pursue in Georgia, but only time will tell if they feel that they have a strong enough case and/or evidence to overturn the results. Doing so will likely come down to a risk vs. reward business decision, as further action in the state will likely come with a high price tag.
Advertisement - story continues below