GA governor signs bill that could put taxpayers 'on the hook' for Trump’s legal fees
MARIETTA, GA- SEPTEMBER 25, 2020: President Donald Trump greets Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp upon exiting Air Force One at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill in Georgia Wednesday that could allow President Donald Trump to recoup millions of dollars of legal costs from taxpayers for his Georgia election interference case.
Trump spent at least $2.7 million defending himself against racketeering and other charges stemming from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election that tossed him from the White House. As vote tallies began to indicate he would lose Georgia, Trump was asking Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a phone call to dig up enough votes to turn the Georgia result.
Biden won Georgia alongside other swing states, winning 306 electoral college votes to Trump's 232, and Trump became one of 19 defendants charged for their interference in the 2020 election. Four defendants pleaded guilty for their roles and the case appeared to be closing in on Trump as a leader behand that effort.
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But in 2024 Trump’s defense attorneys spun the case by essentially putting district attorney Fani Willis on trial for her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Cole. They argued the relationship gave Willis a financial stake to prove Trump’s guilt because she had hired Wade, who paid for some trips they took together.
The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from the case last December. Willis has appealed that decision to the conservative Georgia Supreme Court.
If the high court upholds her disqualification, Kemp’s signature on Senate Bill 244 will return roughly $2.7 million to Trump and an additional $2 million to the Georgia Republican Party. "Fulton County taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in defense fees under the new law," Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Trump’s lead Atlanta attorney, Steve Sadow, said the new law “represents a turning point in holding unethical, opportunistic and deceitful prosecutors accountable for their misconduct,” despite the Washington Post releasing the recording of Trump begging Georgia's top election official to dig up enough votes to throw the election.
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“Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong,” Raffensperger told Trump during that 2020 call.
“So, look, all I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes,” Trump replied.
Senate Bill 244 can help many Georgia defendants recover legal fees if the prosecutor in their case is disqualified for misconduct, but the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, made it clear he had Trump in mind when he sponsored the bill. Beach has since resigned to become Trump’s U.S. treasurer.
Kemp, who may later run for president after refusing to enter a Georgia senate race, is planning a White House meeting with Trump to support the best Republican candidate in the swing state's 2026 Senate race, reports Axios.
Read the full Atlanta Journal Constitution report here.
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