Georgia lawmakers weigh in on indictments against Trump and 18 others

Former President Donald Trump — along with 18 other defendants — was indicted in Georgia Monday night for failed efforts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election result.

Lawmakers are weighing in on a Fulton County grand jury's expansive 41-count indictment alleging a racketeering conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election against former Trump and 18 of his allies.  

Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the "2020 election in Georgia was not stolen."

"For nearly three years now," he tweeted, "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 office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger released a statement Tuesday saying, "The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t.” 

Georgia's political party leaders spoke out, too.

The chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, Josh McKoon, said he's angry about the indictments and called the Grand Jury's decision "a terrible day for our country."

"We don't settle political disputes in America by using the criminal justice system to go after a political opponent," McKoon told GPB. "I'm particularly upset about a lot of Georgians who have been pulled into this who simply wanted to be able to preserve President Trump's ability to fight in his election contest in court."

Those indicted include his predecessor, former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party David Shafer. 

Also facing criminal charges are state Sen. Shawn Still (R-Norcross) and the former chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party, Cathy Latham.

Shafer led a meeting at the Georgia Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, where he and 15 other "alternate" electors, including Latham, signed documents falsely claiming to be Georgia's official electors.

Of Shafer, McKoon said, "What he did was entirely appropriate. It was in conformity with what his legal counsel advised the party to do."

In a statement, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams said of the indictments, "Anyone who tries to silence or subvert the voice of the people at the ballot box is attacking the very foundation of our democracy. In 2020, Georgians watched Trump try to overturn a free and fair election just because he didn't like the results — and starting today, Georgians will watch him face accountability."

Other Georgia Democrats who issued statements included former state Rep. Bee Nguyen, who testified before the grand jury and afterward wrote, "No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy."

Members of both parties used the indictments to stress the importance of voting.

State Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain), the senate minority leader, tweeted, "Georgia Republicans enabled Trump for years and continue publicly stating that they will support him if he is the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. We must hold those enablers accountable at the ballot box."

On X, Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted, "Don't go to the Fulton County courthouse. Don't give them an ounce of your flesh. Let them have their empty streets, barricades, and media circus. In Georgia, we will SHOW UP at the polls!!!"