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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp snaps back at Trump after repeated attacks: 'Leave my family out of it'

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp snaps back at Trump after repeated attacks: 'Leave my family out of it'


Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday again attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both of whom are Republicans, for their refusal to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State.

The governor responded by suggesting Trump should focus on winning in November and refrain from “petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”

Before the rally, Trump criticized Kemp, a popular Republican governor in a must-win swing state for the Republican White House hopeful, and suggested the governor should be “fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party.” 

Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife, Marty, for saying she would write in her husband’s name for president in November instead of voting for the former president.

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“Brad Raffensperger has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Brian Kemp should focus his efforts on fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average.”

GEORGIA ACTIVIST STEALS THE SHOW AFTER BEING INTRODUCED BY TRUMP AT ATLANTA RALLY: ‘INCREDIBLE’

Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Kemp has repeatedly been credited for Georgia’s strong economy during his time as governor and his approval rating in the state has soared, with a 63% approval rating in a June poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The governor narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election after receiving Trump’s endorsement. In 2022, Kemp cruised to a win over Trump-backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the primary before defeating Abrams by seven and a half points in a rematch in the general election.

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“He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote. “He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I said, ‘I’m telling you you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you Sir, we’ll never be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement, and I don’t want his.”

“They’re the ones who got Fani Willis and her boyfriend all ‘jazzed up’ and ready to go. He could have ended that travesty with a phone call, but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy,” he continued.

Trump was referring to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is prosecuting Trump’s election interference case in Georgia, and her controversial relationship with Nathan Wade, who was a prosecutor in the case before resigning earlier this year amid scrutiny over the relationship.

Kemp responded to the former president with a post on the social media platform X, saying: “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”

“You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,” Kemp said.

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Raffensperger also replied to Trump’s claims in a post of his own.

Brian Kemp in Athens, Georgia

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp looks on during the celebration honoring the Georgia Bulldogs national championship victory on Jan. 15, 2022, in Athens, Georgia.  (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

“Georgia’s elections are secure,” Raffensperger wrote on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”

Kemp, notably, signed Georgia’s Election Integrity Act into law in 2021 that includes requiring identification to vote, extending the early voting period and ensuring a ballot drop box will be available in every county.

During the rally on Saturday, Trump criticized Kemp in a 10-minute rant over baseless claims the governor was responsible for his loss to Biden and for not stopping Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election interference case. A state commission has powers to discipline and remove prosecutors for not following the law after Kemp signed a bill into law, but the governor does not have the ability to remove prosecutors.

“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor. Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said.

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The former president has continued to repeat false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes in 2020, and the former president pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win. Trump and his allies also attempted to present slates of so-called “fake electors” that could replace the Democratic voters Biden won.

Trump was later indicted in Georgia for attempting to overturn the election, although the case is now on hold as the courts decide whether Willis can continue to prosecute it.

Kemp certified the electors that Biden won in 2020 and rejected efforts by Trump allies to replace them.

JD VANCE CALLS TRUMP’S OFFER TO DEBATE HARRIS ON FOX NEWS ‘MASTERSTROKE’

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Brian Kemp

Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, speaks during an election night rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The governor did not endorse anyone in this year’s GOP primary but has said he will vote for the Republican ticket in November, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee after Biden suspended his re-election campaign, look to win the battleground state of Georgia, which had gone to the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1996 before Biden won it four years ago.

Harris’ campaign correctly predicted before Trump’s rally that he would deny the 2020 election results.

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After the rally, the Harris campaign released a statement from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served alongside Kemp during the governor’s first term.

“If you were able to see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who does not care about uniting this country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election,” Duncan said in the statement. “Millions of Americans are fed up with his grievance-filled campaign focused only on himself.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Georgia

Georgia School Shooting Suspect's Mom: ‘If I Could Take Their Place, I Would’

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Georgia School Shooting Suspect's Mom: ‘If I Could Take Their Place, I Would’


The mother of the 14-year-old accused of opening fire at his Georgia high school and killing four people gave an emotional interview to ABC News.

Marcee Gray, whose son, Colt Gray, is accused of killing two teachers and two 14-year-old students at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., spoke to the outlet and was reportedly in tears.

“If I could take their place, I would,” Marcee reportedly told the outlet. “I would in a heartbeat.”

The interview happened after The Washington Post reported that the suspected shooter’s aunt, Annie Brown, shared text messages showing that her sister had called the school minutes before the shooting and warned a counselor about an “extreme emergency.”

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“I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” Marcee wrote to Brown in a text obtained by the outlet. “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him.”

The Post also obtained a call log from a shared family phone plan, showing a 10-minute call from Marcee’s phone to the school.

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The four people killed in the shooting were identified as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39 and Christina Irimie, 53.

The alleged shooter is charged with four counts of felony murder, PEOPLE previously reported. Police also arrested the suspect’s father, Colin Gray, with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

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ABC reported that neither the father or son has entered a plea and are due back in court in December.



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Mother of suspected Georgia shooter tried to warn school before attack, The Washington Post reports

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Mother of suspected Georgia shooter tried to warn school before attack, The Washington Post reports


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The mother of the teen accused of killing four people in a Georgia high school shooting reportedly called the school 30 minutes before the attack, urging administrators to check on her son, according to The Washington Post. 



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Ukraine's foreign minister recalls diplomatic representative from Georgia

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Ukraine's foreign minister recalls diplomatic representative from Georgia


Ukraine’s new Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on Sept. 8 that he had recalled the Ukrainian charge d’affaires from Georgia, saying that “ambassadors of a country at war cannot be detached from the war’s realities.”

The current charge d’affaires in Georgia is Mykhailo Kharyshyn.

The announcement came amid deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi as the Georgian Dream government seeks to normalize ties with Moscow.

“I voiced very clear criteria for the effective work of a Ukrainian ambassador. This means specific results, courage, and proactivity,” Sybiha said after a meeting with consuls and ambassadors.

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“Ambassadors of a country at war cannot be detached from the realities of war. In relation to this, I decided to recall the temporary representative of Ukraine in Georgia.”

Who is Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s new foreign minister?

In a major government reshuffle, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was replaced on Sept. 5 by his deputy, Andrii Sybiha. Sybiha’s candidacy was backed by 258 members of the Ukrainian parliament. Although reports of a possible government reshuffle emerged several months ago, for many Ukrainian and int…

While condemning Russia’s all-out war, Georgian Dream officials have also criticized Ukraine and refused to provide military assistance to Kyiv. A particularly contentious point in bilateral ties is the imprisonment of Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who holds Ukrainian citizenship.

Tbilisi has accused people from Saakashvili’s circle and supposed ex-Ukrainian officials of planning subversive activities in Georgia, such as coups or assassination plots, without providing evidence. The Georgian government has also begun investigating Georgian volunteer fighters returning from Ukraine.

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Despite prevailing anti-Russian sentiments within the country, the government has sought to stabilize relations with Moscow, restarting flights and adopting a “foreign agents” law similar to the Kremlin’s repressive legislature.  

Kharyshyn’s dismissal is part of wider personnel changes implemented by Sybiha after he took over from Dmytro Kuleba as Ukraine’s top diplomat last week.

“We need young people to come to us. We will create conditions for this,” the foreign minister said. Sybiha stressed that Ukrainian diplomats must act proactively without waiting for “instructions from the center” and must prioritize securing military assistance for the Armed Forces.

As part of further changes, Sybiha also filed a motion to dismiss Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Borovets.

Family of Georgian oligarch Ivanishvili has undeclared real estate in Russia, investigation finds

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When Bidzina Ivanishvili entered politics in 2011 and created the Georgian Dream party, he promised to give up his Russian passport and divest from business interests in the country.





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