In the middle of a barrage of tweets amplifying his message that the election was stolen from him, President Trump on Tuesday retweeted Georgia attorney Lin Wood’s suggestion that the president will soon prosecute Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — both Republicans — for refusing to overturn the results in their 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.”
The tweet included photos of Kemp and Raffensperger doctored to show them wearing face masks emblazoned with China’s flag.
Since the race was called for President-elect Joe Biden, Trump and his allies, including Wood, have made dozens of baseless claims of coordinated voter fraud in Georgia and other states that voted for Biden. Trump and his legal team have lost virtually every single court challenge — numbering more than 50 — and the Electoral College cast votes Monday confirming Biden’s victory.
Trump has been particularly obsessed with Georgia, where Biden defeated him by just 12,284 votes, and where Republicans hold the top statewide offices. Two audits, including a full hand recount, confirmed the results.
Late last month, the president called on Kemp to “overrule” Raffensperger, Georgia’s top election official, who had said that the election was conducted fairly and that the vast majority of fraud claims being brought to his office were not credible.
“The truth matters,” Raffensperger said. “There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half-truths and misinformation, and frankly they are misleading the president as well, apparently.”
Wood, a plaintiff’s attorney in Atlanta, has emerged as one of the most vocal figures in Trump’s attempts to overturn the election, often amplifying dangerous fringe rhetoric.
On Monday, Wood urged Trump’s supporters to stock up on “2nd Amendment supplies” and other items in apparent anticipation of unrest over Biden’s presidency.
“Better to be safe than sorry,” Wood tweeted. “Make sure you have PLENTY of water, food, flashlights & batteries, candles, radio, 2nd Amendment supplies, & a plan to meet with leaders of your communities. Remember we only have 1 President at a time. Our leader is @realDonaldTrump, not Biden.”
At a “Stop the Steal” rally in Georgia earlier this month, Wood urged the crowd to boycott voting in the upcoming Senate runoff election unless Kemp and Raffensperger delivered the state’s 16 electoral votes to Trump.
At a subsequent rally, Trump dismissed Wood’s call, telling his supporters, “Don’t listen to my friends, just go out” and vote.
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