State Senator Colton Moore (R-GA) continues to call for an emergency legislative session to investigate Fani Willis (pictured above), who convinced a grand jury to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants for questioning the validity of the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Governor Brian Kemp (R), however, claims he does not have the authority to call a special session. He has rejected the request and will not back efforts to reprimand Willis.
Jameson Taylor, director of policy and legislative affairs at AFA Action, is on Sen. Moore's side.
"Georgia District Attorney Fannie Willis is using taxpayer funds to target political enemies," he points out. "The indictments that she has filed have no merit. It's clearly a fishing expedition. Frankly, I would guess she's looking to boost her name I.D. to run for higher office."
But while Willis "certainly needs to be held accountable," Taylor says Georgia's legislative leaders appear unwilling to enforce it.
"What we're seeing is, again, a bunch of weak Republicans who lack the moral courage to go toe-to-toe with their Democratic opponents," he observes. "The Democrats, they are playing for keeps; they are playing to win. Republicans are playing it safe."
Trump's case
Former President Trump could spend a great deal of the 2024 presidential campaign in courtrooms. As he defends himself in possibly four criminal trials, political observers wonder what will happen if he is convicted before the Republican National Convention, if he is nominated and then convicted, or if he wins the election and is then convicted.
Abraham Hamilton III, general counsel for the American Family Association, references the Constitution.
"All of those questions really have more political intonations than they do legal intonations," he recently said on AFR. "The Constitution explicitly and exclusively lays out the criteria for the president of the United States, and it says nothing about a person not being convicted of a crime."
How that will impact the electorate, he added, is a different question, "but there's nothing about the criminal legal jeopardy that could legally disqualify him from being on the ballot or even winning the election. It's crazy to think that, but that's the reality."
As for the upcoming trials, Trump, who believes he is "totally covered under the law," has said that he plans to testify. Hamilton, however, "would not advise" that, because once the former president takes the oath to testify, he will have to respond to questions.
"The lack of testimonial discipline is one of the main things I would be concerned about if I represented him," the attorney explained. "Can he control himself sufficiently to respond solely to what is being asked?"
But ultimately, whether or not Trump takes the stand is his own decision.
As for whether Trump is thrown in prison, "him even hypothetically and potentially being incarcerated doesn't prohibit him" from the presidency, Hamilton noted.
A clean criminal record "is not a legal requirement in terms of being a candidate for the presidency, or even taking office," he said. "It's amazing to consider that."
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
