Top Georgia Republican Says Trump And Giuliani ‘Misinformation’ Prompted New Election Law
Topline
Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan on Wednesday said in a CNN interview the reasoning behind a recently passed election law in Georgia that has stirred national controversy is “misinformation” generated by Trump-ally Rudy Giuliani in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s election victory.
LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 02: U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani speaks as … [+]
Getty Images
Key Facts
Duncan, a Republican, labeled the bill “fallout” from “10 weeks of misinformation that flew in from former President Donald Trump,” and specifically pointed to Giuliani, who “showed up in a couple of committee rooms and spent hours spreading misinformation and sowing doubt.”
Duncan, who has said there are “some things” in the GOP-backed law he disagrees with, said Wednesday he spent the weekend looking back at “where this really started to gain momentum in the legislature,” and pinpointed Giuliani’s “hours of testimony.”
The comment is in line with critiques many Democrats have leveled at the bill: White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday the law is “built on a lie,” noting, “There was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election.”
Giuliani spread a number of baseless election fraud claims speaking to Georgia lawmakers in December, including that dead people voted and that voting machines in the state could be hacked into and votes changed.
Key Background
Duncan was one of just a handful of Republicans who resisted Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, though others who also did, like Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and election official Gabriel Sherman, have defended the law. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who saw his political fortunes damaged considerably by his refusal to help overturn the Georgia results, signed the bill into law.
Crucial Quote
“They learned from the travesty of the 2020 Presidential Election, which can never be allowed to happen again. Too bad these changes could not have been done sooner!” former President Donald Trump said in a statement after the law was signed last month. Trump has since turned to criticizing Kemp and the law, which he now says is “watered down.”
Big Number
15. That’s how much Kemp’s approval rating among GOP voters has risen since just before he signed the law, according to a new Morning Consult poll released Thursday. Kemp saw his approval rating among Republicans plummet when Trump began attacking him in the months after the election.
What To Watch For
Whereas Kemp is vying for a second term in 2022, Duncan is likely not, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday. Instead, Duncan will reportedly focus on his effort to “reframe the party in a post-Trump era.”
