Judge delays Gov. Kemp's testimony in Ga. probe until after November election

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

The judge presiding over the Georgia grand jury investigation into possible election interference by Donald Trump and his allies on Monday denied a motion from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to quash a subpoena requiring him to testify.

However, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert C.I. McBurney also delayed Kemp’s appearance before the grand jury until “some date soon after” Election Day in November. Kemp, who is running for reelection against Democrat Stacey Abrams, has alleged that the investigation is politically motivated.

McBurney had previously expressed skepticism over arguments from Republicans that the prosecution, led by a Democratic district attorney, was politically motivated. “It is not my space” to focus on politics, McBurney said last week as lawyers for Kemp argued that the subpoena had already become a political issue this election season. “I don’t think it is the right forum” to debate the political ramifications of the case, said the judge.

The legal maneuvering is the latest sign of tension between prosecutors and high-profile witnesses in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s expansive criminal probe of alleged election interference by Trump and his allies.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/29/kemp-trump-testimony-georgia/

---

No paywall link

[SheltieLover]

1. Well, here we go with the "too close to an election" bs

Shocked.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Well he's running for re-election

but hopefully Stacey can still ding him with it.

[SheltieLover]

6. Idaf what his aspirations are

Voters have a right to know.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. The odd dynamics down there

has been that he and Raffensperger "thwarted" 45's plans and that might make them targets of the MAGats, helping to clear a path for Stacey!

(hoping for this)

[SheltieLover]

15. I sure hope so!

[Mad_Machine76]

3. Yeah

so, basically, it's like it's so close to an election that him providing testimony about election interference would........interfere with an election.

[SheltieLover]

7. Absofuckingloutely!

[Orrex]

4. If Kemp were worried about the political ramification of the fallout, he shouldn't have participated

[Samrob]

33. Really looks like a cover-up now. Should energize the Dem base even more in GA.

Fani is not playing and the cowards are running scared but they know they have the power to quash her. Nevertheless, she persists.

[ancianita]

5. It's how the "they're out to get us" candidates will play their victim-patriot voters.

[Politicub]

8. Ah, yes. - The classic "commit any crime or get out of any legal commitment

because someone is running for office,” excuse.

[Historic NY]

10. Well

[link:|]

[kacekwl]

11. Well then, if he is convicted of crime then

he should have to resign and his challenger is appointed right ?

[KS Toronado]

13. Grand Jury is going after tRump

Kemp is a witness.

[mjvpi]

24. You're absolutely right. But he sure isn't acting like one.

I don’t understand his political calculations. Even though he doesn’t have Trump’s support, he must figure that by not testifying he’ll maintain some Trump supporters just because they blindly vote R? Liz Cheney PTSD? I guess when you are relying on pissed off ignorant people to remain in power, truth and the law are second thoughts.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. You nailed his quandary

He and Raffensperger blew the whistle on 45 by releasing the tape of the phone call pressuring them to "find" something like 11,800 votes but he needs the deplorable loons to get re-eleccted and he "betrayed" their leader by not only NOT "finding" those votes, but exposing the plan. They ended up going through 3 recounts to boot. He's trying to keep his head down.

[Mad_Machine76]

12. I don't understand

Has this *always* been a thing and nobody noticed it before? I didn't know that running or serving in elected office shielded anybody from normal legal processes until now? We've always had political officials investigated, deposed, indicted, arrested, prosecuted, and even jailed while serving in or running for offices before. When did it change that suddenly elected officials are becoming more shielded from being subject to the same legal processes as everybody else just because there is an election coming up that they are running in?! They subjected Clinton to everything, including depositions WHILE he was in office because Judges determined that he had no absolute legal immunity, even while actively serving as POTUS.


BTW how does it make sense to allow individuals whom are investigation to evade accountability while they are running to hold elective office no matter how close or far it is to the election? Shouldn't people be able to make sure that they're not electing a crook or a very bad person to elected office, especially to the Presidency?!

[Bayard]

18. I believe this went into effect,

When Obama was appointing Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court a year before the next election. McConnell wouldn't allow a vote because he said it was, too close.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. In this case, it's not removing the requirement for Kemp to testify

just delaying when it would happen.

There have been several congress critters including most recently, Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), who was indicted last October and was tried and convicted in March of this year, and finally resigned his seat (and they have had to have a special election for that seat). And he was definitely running for re-election this year!

[Mad_Machine76]

21. I know they're not removing it

but I don't understand the reason for the delay either. He's not even technically the subject of the investigation, is he?

[BumRushDaShow]

28. He's trying to fly under the radar

because he could lose a pile of MAGat votes due to him and Raffensperger not complying with 45's demand to "find" some 11,800 votes to flip the state and then the tape was released that had proof of that illegal call.

Both were excoriated at the state GOP convention (and Raffensperger was censured) -

[mjvpi]

25. Your last sentence. Yes, yes, yes!

[Mad_Machine76]

27. Thanks

I know that there is always the fear of an actual "political prosecution", but if there is ever a time to prevent the wrong people from getting into office, it should definitely be *before* they get into office, not after.

[BlueIdaho]

14. It's August for goodness sake...

Not that close to the election.

[Novara]

16. Fine. This will be hanging over his head during the hottest part of his election season.

He has to comply with the subpoena. That means he's at least a witness - if not a participant - in the crime of election fraud.

I can see this working in Stacey Abrams' favor. Either he's a sell-out who didn't steal the election for the orange motherfucker or he's part of the conspiracy that tried to steal the election. Both sides have reason to hate him.

[maxrandb]

17. So, if I have an upcoming job interview

I can get a delay to answering a subpoena?

Gee, that's good to know.

Or, does precedent like this only apply to rich white guys.

There's a shitton of stuff that would make testifying "inconvient", or that might "tarnish someone's reputation".

Will this apply to all of us who may need to delay answering questions before a Grand Jury because we have important milestones coming up.

"Damn judge, I am getting married next year...testifying before a grand jury might influence my fiancé's decision about marrying me".

We've always known that there were two standards for our justice system, but now they are just rubbing our faces in it.

[Mad_Machine76]

22. +1000

[Lonestarblue]

19. The question I hope Abrams keeps asking voters is why Kemp is afraid to testify under oath.

Otherwise, he would testify for a couple of hours and then get back to his campaign. It’s ridiculous that his testimony would be too close to an election that is still over two months away.

[Mad_Machine76]

23. We know the real answer to that

But you won't see it in any court filings.

[orangecrush]

29. Of fucking course

[cstanleytech]

30. Article should be titled "Judge provides a hail Mary pass to Republicans".

[Smackdown2019]

31. Do they need him?

Seriously? Do they need him for the grand jury? Just charge the orange clown already!

[Bucky]

32. He's not at risk of prosecution. He's a prosecution witness, not a "party of interest"