Earlier today The Wall Street Journal reported that not only is Trump’s phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at the center of the Fulton County District Attorney Fani T Willis’s investigation into whether Trump illegally interfered with the presidential election in Georgia, but so is his call with the chief investigator in Raffensperger’s office. It has also been previously reported that the Fulton County DA is investigating Senator Lindsey Graham’s phone call to Raffensperger; also for potentially illegally interfering with the presidential election in Georgia.
And everyone on the Interwebtubes rejoiced…
Your mellows, allow me to harsh them!
There is not a snow ball’s chance in Hell that Trump will be prosecuted in Fulton County, GA regardless of what the District Attorney’s investigation turns up. And there’s one reason for it: Governor Brian Kemp wants to have a slim chance to be reelected. And that slim chance depends on him surviving being primaried by someone more slavishly devoted to Trump than he is like the currently unemployed Doug Collins. Especially as Trump and Trump’s base, know doing business as the Republican Party, are pissed at Kemp from not intervening to actually illegally steal the election for Trump. So what is Brian Kemp to do? The only thing he will have the power to do: he’ll preemptively pardon Trump for any and all state crimes being investigated if it looks like DA Willis is going to bring an indictment. It is Kemp’s only chance of surviving a Republican primary for governor next year. I doubt he’ll pardon anyone else who might be indicted, so Graham and the other toadies may still be on the hook, but what little life is left in Kemp’s political career as a Republican rests on Trump not being tried, let alone convicted.
Your mellows, consider them harshed.
You’re welcome!
Updated at 9:15 PM EST As Part of Balloon Juice’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program of Accuracy and Accountability In Mellow Harshening:
Curses! Foiled again!!!!
Apparently, NEVER MIND!!!!
Way2Blue, in comments, has provided this important information I had not seen on this topic from The New York Times:
If Mr. Trump were to be convicted of a state crime in New York or Georgia, a federal pardon would not be applicable. In Georgia, Mr. Trump cannot look to Mr. Kemp for a state pardon, and not just because the two have a fractured relationship. In Georgia, pardons are granted only by the state board of pardons and paroles.
So no preemptive pardoning.
You all may resume your regularly scheduled mellows!
Open thread!