Brian Kemp Launches Investigation Into Georgia Democratic Party Before Midterms

Since spearheading Georgia’s “exact-match” voting requirement, Secretary of State Brian Kemp has faced accusations of attempting to suppress minority voting. A federal judge ruled Friday that the state must change certain procedures to make it easier for those flagged as a result of the rule, to be able to vote. Following his legal defeat, in another thinly veiled example of abuse of power, Brian Kemp announced Sunday he would be opening an investigation into the Georgia Democratic party.

Without citing evidence, Kemp’s office is investigating the Georgia Democratic party for allegedly hacking the state’s voter registration system Saturday. Kemp’s conflict of interest has been repeatedly called into question by Abrams, fellow politicians and advocacy groups, as he is running for state office while overseeing the election itself. This move will likely heighten concerns about the nature of Kemp’s intentions. 

Press secretary Candace Broce told the press, “While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cyber crimes.” 

The Democratic Party responded to the news by calling the investigation false and “another example of abuse of power.” Abrams told CNN that the move is meant to distract voters just two days before the midterm elections. “I’ve heard nothing about it, and my reaction would be that this is a desperate attempt on the part of my opponent to distract people from the fact that two different federal judges found him derelict in his duties and have forced him to accept absentee ballots to be counted and those who are being held captive by the exact match system to be allowed to vote,” Abrams said Sunday.

Donald Trump has endorsed Kemp’s candidacy, appearing alongside him during a rally in Macon, GA the same day news of the investigation was released. While the two did not mention the probe specifically, Trump spoke of broader voter issues during the rally, as his fixation on voter fraud has seemingly provided a bogus argument in support of voter suppression.