Georgia Republicans are rushing to Fani Willis' defense against 'Trumpian high jinks': report

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' pursuit of Donald Trump for 2020 election tampering is getting unexpected help from some Georgia Republicans who don't want to damage the state's reputation by making it look like it's a MAGA hotbed, according to a report.

According to the New York Times, Willis' RICO case which snared 19 defendants may not be what Georgia Republicans want on the front pages — but many are thinking that is preferable to having the national press make them look worse if they interfered.

Case in point: freshman State Senator Colton Moore (R) attempted to persuade his colleagues to consider firing or defunding Willis, only to see it blow up in his face and lead to his own ouster from the Senate Republican caucus.

As the Times' Richard Fausset wrote, "Mr. Moore’s excommunication demonstrates that there are limits to Georgia Republicans’ tolerance for Trumpian high jinks that would derail the case against the former president. And it has become evident that members of the Republican establishment, led by Gov. Brian Kemp, are shielding Ms. Willis not because they share any ideological affinity with her, but because they are concerned that removing her would damage Georgia’s reputation, and its ability to attract and retain businesses."

Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes (D) agreed, telling the Times, "They know that if they went after her, there would be national press berating them as being a bunch of far-right nuts. And that’s the last thing they want to do. They want to say, ‘Listen, we can run this state, we can take stands that keep us prosperous.’”

Part of the reason Georgia Republicans are keeping their distance from taking Trump's side stems from the success of Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — Republicans both — who have stood up to the four-time indicted Trump and have been easily re-elected.

Add to that, Faussett wrote, Georgia Republicans are highly cognizant about how their state is perceived both nationally and internationally.

"A number of observers said that other Republicans’ reluctance to help Mr. Trump is rooted in a long Georgia tradition of understanding how the state’s internal decisions reverberate on the national and international stage, particularly given the economic harm that can flow from perceptions of bigotry or Southern backwardness," he explained.

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