Several top Republicans have denounced pro-trump lawyers Lin Wood and Sidney Powell after they called on voters not to participate in the two runoff elections in Georgia that will decide on Senate control.
Wednesday, Wood and Powell held a press conference in which they alleged widespread voter fraud in the presidential election and called on President Donald Trump’s supporters not to participate in the “rigged” Senate elections scheduled for January 5, prompting some Republicans to call the suit “insane,” “destructive” and “insane.
The Republican leaders were outraged by the lawyers’ statements, which once again demonstrated to the public how crucial it is to vote in the run-off elections in Georgia, which will determine whether Republicans retain their majority in the Senate. If Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win the Republican David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler seats, the Democrats will gain control of an evenly divided Senate, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will cast all votes in a tie.
“Lin Wood and Sidney Powell are completely destructive. Every conservative from Georgia who cares about America MUST vote in the runoff. Their strategy of not voting will paralyze America,” former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich twittered on Thursday.
Lin Wood and Sidney Powell are completely destructive. Every conservative from Georgia who cares about America MUST vote in the runoff. Their strategy of not voting will paralyze America.
– Pig Gingrich (@newtgingrich) December 3, 2020
Gabriel Sterling, an election official in Georgia, joined Gingrich when he beat up the two lawyers and called their statements “crazy,” “insane,” and “insane.
“It is just so unfounded of any sense of reality. It’s detached from reality,” said Sterling, who is responsible for introducing the electoral system in Georgia. “And yes, I am a Republican. I will remain a Republican. I will fight for the sanctity and common sense of a party that is a large part of America and for which I have been fighting since I was 15 years old.
[email protected] on @SidneyPowell1 and @LinWood’s antics in Georgia: “Who the hell knows? I mean, this is Looney Tunes. … I am speechless. This is the best thing I have right now.” https://t.co/rLKFsx1p80 via @politico
– Quint Forgey (@QuintForgey) December 3, 2020
The Trump campaign has recently distanced itself from both lawyers. Last week, Powell, who has been making unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about election fraud and rigged voting machines, was removed from the campaign’s legal team. And Wood, a prominent lawyer from Georgia, has recently come under fire from the conservative media after Breitbart News reported on his earlier support for the Democrats.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen former GOP leaders from Georgia wrote a letter calling on elected officials to distance themselves from election fraud conspiracies. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that the current rhetoric would lead voters to believe that their vote did not matter.
“We have watched with growing concern how the debate over the state’s electoral system has caused some within our party to reflect on whether voting will play a role in the upcoming runoff election,” the letter said. It was signed by former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and former Senator Johnny Isakson, among others.
“Unless every vote for President Trump and all our Republican candidates is also cast in the U.S. Senate runoff on November 3, the development of our state and nation will be irreparably changed on January 5,” the letter continued.
The criticism from former GOP officials comes after Trump called on Georgian Governor Brian Kemp to “use emergency powers” to “override” the state’s electoral system, which Joe Biden first declared victorious on November 20.
On Thursday, President Kemp and the Georgian Foreign Minister again called on the Georgian government to allow a signature comparison for the counting of votes, a procedure he believes will prove that he has won the state.
“The ‘Republican’ Governor of Georgia, @BrianKempGA, and the Foreign Minister MUST immediately allow a signature comparison in the presidential election. If that happens, we will quickly and easily win the state and, importantly, we will pave the way for a great David and Kelly victory! Trump tweets.
But the former GOP leaders fear that the rhetoric about voter fraud will hurt the party before the runoff elections.
“In fact, we have a duty to assure every citizen of Georgia, regardless of his or her ideology, that free and fair elections are what makes our republic different from all others,” their letter said. “However, we must not allow this ongoing work to distract from a task that only Georgian republicans can perform: maintaining control over the U.S. Senate”.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would attend a rally in support of the two Republican candidates in Georgia on Saturday.
“They are fantastic people who love their country and love their state. We have to work hard and be sure they will win,” the president twittered.
Washington Newsday reached out for further comments on the Trump campaign, but did not return in time for the release.
