Trump Retweets Claim That Georgia Governor And Top Election Official Will Be Jailed
Topline
President Donald Trump on Tuesday retweeted a post by L. Lin Wood, a pro-Trump attorney known for spreading conspiracy theories, that asserted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will be imprisoned after the two Republicans rebuffed the president’s demands for them to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state over debunked voter fraud claims.
President Donald Trump talks with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife Marty, right, Sen. David … [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Key Facts
Wood, a Georgia attorney who has filed cases on Trump’s behalf and recently urged Republicans to boycott the Georgia runoff elections over bogus voter fraud claims, claimed Kemp and Raffensperger would “soon be going to jail” in the tweet.
The message included two doctored pictures of Kemp and Raffensperger wearing face masks and pins emblazoned with the Chinese flag, an apparent reference to a conspiracy theory Wood has floated that Georgia officials rigged the election on behalf of China.
Chief Critic
Georgia election officials have called for Trump to temper his rhetoric after receiving death threats over the election. “It’s all gone too far—all of it,” Georgia voting systems manager Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, said at a news conference earlier this month, blasting the president. “It has to stop.”
Key Background
The Trump campaign has attempted to distance itself from Wood and attorney Sidney Powell in recent days as they float increasingly unhinged claims. Powell was removed from Trump’s legal team in November, while the Trump campaign attacked Wood on Twitter after he suggested Republicans boycott the January 5 runoff elections in Georgia.
Surprising Fact
Both Wood and Powell appear to be believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory, and both have a loyal following among QAnon social media accounts.
Further Reading
Trump Campaign Burns Pro-Trump Attorney Telling Trump Voters To Boycott Georgia Runoff (Forbes)
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