Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp calls Trump indictments a ‘stupid’ distraction and insists trial won’t happen until after 2024 election

Georgia’s Republican governor faced Donald Trump’s indictment in his state on Friday, but said the legal woes are “silly” and a way for Democrats to distract Republicans from choosing the best candidate in the state. 2024.

The question was posed by conservative radio host Erick Erickson at his conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday after promising he would not raise the issue with the presidential candidates at the event because it would overshadow their platforms.

Kemp said he can’t say much about the charges because he will likely testify in the case, but dismissed the matter as something that can wait until after the 2024 presidential election.

“One thing is certain about these indictments – in my opinion, in my opinion – this process, despite the dates someone is asking for, it will not happen before the election,” Kemp emphasized during his Q&A with Erickson at The Gathering conference in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta.

He added, “And the Democrats want us to focus on this stuff, so we’re not focused on Joe Biden’s record.”

The conference will take place just 10 miles from Fulton County Jail, where Trump is due to surrender before Friday on racketeering charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

The Fulton County grand jury voted Monday night to indict Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 charges. Trump is now facing trial for the fourth time in less than a year.

At the center of the indictment is a phone call Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he told him to “find 11,780 votes,” which was exactly the amount he needed to push the state’s 2020 election result in his favor. to nullify.

Kemp claims ‘it should be such an easy path for (Republicans) to win back the White House. But if we look in the rearview mirror.’

“We need to focus on the future, not something that happened three years ago,” he said in reference to Trump’s insistence that he would win the 2020 presidential election and subsequent legal battles in the years to come.

“We don’t have to focus on stupid things that aren’t going to happen before this election,” Georgia’s governor added. “We can deal with that later—when we’ve won.”

His advice to Republicans is to “tell people what we’re for.” And then we need a candidate who can win the election.’

Kemp says Georgia is “ground zero” for the 2024 election and said the state is essential for Republicans to retake the White House in 2024.

“I didn’t know ten years later that we would be Ground Zero, but the road to the White House goes through Georgia, yes,” he said. “If we don’t win the state, we don’t win the White House. And I thought it was important to bring our presidential candidate to Georgia to talk to our people and get exposure here.”

But he had one clear message for the 500 or so attendees at the conference: “Complaining isn’t going to help us win.”

“You can believe what you want about the 2020 election. That’s your right, I understand that, I have no problem with that,” Kemp said. “But the thing is, that was three years ago. And if you’re still mad about that, stop complaining about that, sign up as a pollster, be a pollster, get involved in the process, knocking doors, making phone calls. Do something that will help us win in 2024.”