ATLANTA — Amid a briefing to address the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Idalia in South Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp also addressed the storm brewing among state Republicans related to the recent indictment of former President Donald Trump in Fulton County.

At an Aug. 31 news conference, Kemp shut down a request from a handful of Republicans calling for a special session to review Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has led the investigation against Trump.

A special purpose grand jury was selected in early 2022 to investigate the possibility of criminal interference in the 2020 general election by Trump and his allies.

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others on Aug. 14 on felony charges for alleged election subversion in Georgia. Three Georgia GOP members are among the 19 defendants in the indictment.

“We are now seeing what happens when prosecutors move forward with highly-charged indictments and trials in the middle of an election. Simply put, that says distrust and provides easy pickings for those who see the district attorney’s action as guided by politics,” Kemp said.

But Kemp said he does not believe Willis has violated any law, pointing to avenues for constituents to take action against district attorneys if they believe their local prosecutors are violating their oath by engaging in unethical or illegal behavior.

“Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis’ actions or lack thereof warrant action by the (newly-established) Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission. But that will ultimately be a decision that the Commission will make,” Kemp said. “Regardless, in my mind a special session of the General Assembly to end run around this law is not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional.”

Kemp also noted that, “history is trying to repeat itself.”

“Many of you will recall that in the final weeks of 2020, they really and repeatedly said that I would not be calling a special session of the General Assembly to overturn the 2020 election results because such an action would have been unconstitutional,” he said. “It was that simple.”

At least a handful of Georgia Republicans have asked Kemp for a special session to investigate Willis.

The effort is being led by Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, who wrote a letter to Kemp three days after Trump’s indictment asking him to call for a special session.

Moore has scheduled a Sept. 7 news conference regarding the request.

An online petition he launched accuses Willis of potentially abusing her position of power by pursuing Trump.

The petition, in part, states: “The politically-motivated weaponization of our justice system at the expense of taxpayers will not be tolerated. I am demanding that we defund her office until we find out what the hell is going on. We cannot stand idly by as corrupt prosecutors choose to target their political opposition.”

District 20 state Rep. Charlice Byrd claims to have reviewed evidence of possible corruption in the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Willis’ investigation of the case.

“If wrongdoing is found, as a duly elected member of the Georgia House of representatives, I am prepared to begin the impeachment process…,” Byrd said in support of Moore’s letter. “We must seek the truth by doing our constitutional duty of overseeing the judicial system to ensure the oath of office enshrined in law that every district attorney must take before assuming office is respected and adhered to.”

The Republican-appointed Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission, established during the 2023 legislative session, is expected to begin operations in October.

Moore has shot down the panel commissioned to oversee DA’s, stating that the Georgia Constitution gives the general assembly control over the impeachment process.

Moore is calling to strip all funding from Willis’ office.

In an Aug. 30 email to GOP caucus members, Republican House Speaker Jon Burns spoke against calls to defund Willis’ office, calling it an attempt to interfere with the criminal justice system.

“Regardless of your views of this case, removing this funding would also have unintended consequence of causing a delay or complete lack of prosecution of other serious offenses …. If we are concerned about the levels of serious crimes in Atlanta, this move would obviously be harmful to public safety.”

Burns also noted that reducing the pay for one DA or assistant district attorney would require reducing the pay for all DA’s and ADA’s across the state — since funding to each judicial circuit is based on a statewide formula.

“Targeting one specific DA in this manner certainly flaunts the idea of separation of powers, if not outright violates it,” Burns said. “We trust that our criminal justice system will deal with this matter impartially and fairly, and we will not improperly intercede in this matter in direct contradiction to the oath we took.”

Burns said it is an “unfortunate reality of today’s politics that theatrics sometimes gain more attention than genuine human needs like those that will unfold today in south and coastal Georgia.”

Chris Stallings, director of Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, reported one fatality in Lowndes County from a tree falling on a vehicle due to the category 3 storm’s damage. Several minor storm-related injuries reported.

Stallings said Thursday that the state has two shelters in operation holding 44 displaced residents. At the height of the storm on the night of Aug. 30, an estimated 277,000 power customers were without power. As of the 10:45 a.m. Aug. 31, an estimated 107,000 customers were without power.

More man 30 cellphone towers were downed during the storm. The towers were expected to be operational again at some point on Aug. 31.

Stallings added that there have been reports of “significant” crop loss due to storm damage.