Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been mercilessly attacked by Trump. But he still attended a White House Christmas Party.
AP Photo/John Bazemore
- On Friday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted images of himself and his daughter, Lucy, taking pictures amidst the lavish holiday decor at the White House.
- Despite the festivities, Trump is still incensed with Kemp for not helping him overturn the presidential election results in Georgia, which saw President-elect Joe Biden capture the state by a little over 12,000 votes.
- The governor posted the White House photo just hours after Trump questioned his conservative credentials, as well as those of GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Despite President Donald Trump's withering attacks against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp over certifying President-elect Joe Biden's presidential win in the state, his invitation to a White House Christmas party didn't get lost in the mail.
On Friday, the Republican governor tweeted images of himself and his daughter, Lucy, taking pictures amidst the holiday decor and festivities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"Lucy and I had a great time at the @WhiteHouse Christmas Party today," Kemp wrote. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"
—Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 19, 2020
Many conservatives, including some high-profile Republicans, were not thrilled with the message.
Jenna Ellis, a prominent member of the Trump campaign's legal team, responded to Kemp's tweet with one word: "Seriously?"
—Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) December 19, 2020
GOP Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini responded to the tweet, calling the governor "scum."
—Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) December 19, 2020
Kemp has drawn the ire of Trump and many rank-and-file Republicans and activists for what they perceive as a lack of support in investigating unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the state.
The governor posted the White House photo just hours after Trump questioned his conservative credentials, as well as those of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another favorite GOP target of the president.
"The Secretary of State and Governor of Georgia, both so-called 'Republicans', aren't allowing Fulton County to go through the vital Voter Signature Verification process," Trump wrote. "Also, they are not allowing Republican 'watchers' to be present and verify!"
Despite Trump's claims, the state already requires signature verification, and official poll watchers from both parties were present across the country during the 2020 election.
Last week, the president once again slammed Kemp, retweeting a post from attorney Lin Wood that called for the governor and Raffensperger to be imprisoned for not challenging the election results in the state.
"President Trump @realDonaldTrump is a genuinely good man," Wood wrote. "He does not really like to fire people. I bet he dislikes putting people in jail, especially 'Republicans.' He gave @BrianKempGA & @GaSecofState every chance to get it right. They refused. They will soon be going to jail."
—Lin Wood (@LLinWood) December 15, 2020
Biden's narrow victory in the state was confirmed through an initial count and two reviews. On December 14, the Electoral College met in Atlanta and certified the state's 16 Electoral College votes for the president-elect.
Still, Kemp has borne the brunt of attacks from Trump.
During a November interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, the president said that he was "ashamed" to have endorsed Kemp in his 2018 gubernatorial campaign against Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams.
Earlier in December, Trump called Kemp for help in overturning the election results, arguing that the governor could hold a special legislative session that would install pro-Trump electors.
Kemp declined to call the state legislature back into session.
No comments