Nail in the coffin
Despite the slogan, Georgia is probably the last thing on Donald Trump’s mind. Many experts believe the criminal charges in Georgia represent the biggest threat to Trump. He is also getting no love from Governor Brian Kemp, who has steadfastly refused to interfere in Fani Willis’s investigation. Now, Kemp has started an investigation of his own.
According to WXIA-TV Atlanta, Governor Kemp signed an executive order establishing a review commission to investigate the activities of Shawn Still, one of Trump’s fake electors. The commission must deliver a written report to Governor Kemp within 14 days, though Kemp can extend the deadline. The commission will have the power to suspend Still from his position, but Governor Kemp will make the final decision. If he is suspended, Still’s suspension will last until the expiration of his term or his adjudication in a court of law, whichever first occurs.
Still was knee deep in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia while serving as secretary of the Georgia GOP. Following Trump’s playbook, Still and his fellow fake electors began trolling for donations long before charges were filed against them. They knew what they did was wrong, and they are facing years in prison for their fraudulent conspiracy. Their fundraising website referred to them as “patriots,” but “criminals” or “traitors” better fits them. It will be interesting to see what the fake electors who accepted offers of immunity have to say about all of this. Unlike the others, they saw the error of their ways, but Shawn Still may well be looking at the end of his political career.
Not only is Donald Trump one of 19 defendants in the Georgia indictment (for which he has now requested severance), he lost the support of a billionaire backer in Georgia. Tommy Bagwell, a real billionaire, is said to have severed ties with Trump over his election lies. According to MSNBC, Bagwell interrupted Trump’s election lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, during her speech at the RNC Spring Retreat, to advise that he is dropping financing for Trump’s campaign. Bagwell said the Georgia election was “pretty damn clean,” and he asked everyone at the event to stop believing and spreading the lies from Trump’s camp.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the story first, quoting Bagwell: “I want to, unfortunately, say something that’s probably not very popular in this crowd. So, to keep you from throwing things at me, I figure I’d say it. Everything, especially that Mr. Trump promoted that I heard, was roundly and convincingly debunked.” Reports are that Bagwell gave Trump “a fortune,” but at the event, he said: “Not anymore. You’re not getting one more dime from me until you show me some evidence, and you’ve shown me not one damn piece of evidence.” Though Trump’s lawyer continued to promote the lies, claiming there were “problems” in Fulton and DeKalb Counties, those claims have fallen on deaf ears. The only “problems” in those counties is that they are both majority Black, and both went overwhelmingly for Biden.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years