President Donald Trump railed against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at a Saturday rally for the state’s Senate runoff elections, saying Kemp could stop alleged voter fraud “if he knew what the hell he was doing.”
“Your governor could stop it very easily if he knew what the hell he was doing. He could stop it very easily,” Trump told the cheering crowd.
“Let me tell you this [presidential] election was rigged and we can’t let it happen to two of the greatest most respected people in Washington. We can’t let it happen again,” he said, referring to Republican Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue, who are both seeking reelection. (RELATED: Georgia Senators Loeffler, Perdue Release Joint Statement Calling On GA Secretary Of State To Resign)
Trump repeated his unproven claim that “hundreds of thousands of illegal votes were cast in each state,” and he insisted that election authorities “literally” threw out Republican poll watchers on election night.
“And that is true in Georgia certainly,” Trump said.
The president said the experience of the presidential election should inform expectations of the Senate runoff election in Georgia that takes place on Jan. 5. “We have a big Senatorial race going on in Georgia and we are watching Democrats very, very closely and … they could cheat in Georgia and people aren’t really watching like they should.”
“So we know the Democrats are planning to cheat and we can’t let them do it again … so we have to be vigilant,” he said.
Kemp has responded to Trump’s accusations that he is doing nothing to address alleged voter fraud in the state, tweeting Saturday that he had already informed the president that he had “publicly called for a signature audit three times … to restore confidence in our election process and to ensure that only legal votes are counted in Georgia.”
As I told the President this morning, I’ve publicly called for a signature audit three times (11/20, 11/24, 12/3) to restore confidence in our election process and to ensure that only legal votes are counted in Georgia. #gapol https://t.co/xdXrhf1vI2
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) December 5, 2020
Kemp was responding to a tweet from Trump Saturday that said the president would “easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification. Has not been done and will show large scale discrepancies.”
I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification. Has not been done and will show large scale discrepancies. Why are these two “Republicans” saying no? If we win Georgia, everything else falls in place!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2020
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has also encouraged the Georgia state legislature to change its state law that does not require comprehensive signature authentication. (RELATED: Geraldo Rivera Calls For ‘A Real Gut Check,’ Says Trump Is ‘On The Wrong Course’ To Help Georgia Republicans)
“I can’t change Georgia law,” he told Fox News Wednesday. “So we need to change the law so that the Senate races are not stolen from us.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks to the media during a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on Apr. 27, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Both supporters and opponents of Trump have said that his allegations of voter fraud are unfounded and that the campaign’s election lawsuits largely lack evidence.
In a Wall Street Journal column, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove said that he can find “no evidence” of systemic voter fraud in the presidential election.
This week Attorney General William Barr said the Department of Justice has not gathered any evidence to back the claims.