Special counsel Jack Smith has reached out to Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as he continues his wide-ranging probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to multiple news reports.
“Our office has been contacted by Jack Smith’s office, but we will decline to comment further at this time,” Kemp spokesperson Andrew Isenhour said in a statement shared with CNN and The Washington Post.
The Post was first to report the outreach, which CNN said took place last week.
Kemp is one of the latest subjects Smith’s team has reached out to following a target letter he sent to Donald Trump last Sunday.
“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The letter reportedly cited three statutes that could be a basis for prosecuting the former president: conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under color of law, and tampering with victims, witnesses or informants.
Trump had repeatedly pressured Kemp to undo Joe Biden’s win in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. In the aftermath of the contest, the then-president called on Kemp to call a special session of the Georgia legislature to throw out the results and appoint electors who would back Trump instead, and pressed the governor to order an audit of absentee ballot signatures in the state. Kemp refused both requests.
In a now-infamous call, Trump also called on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” baselessly claiming he had won the state.
Smith’s team reportedly heard from Raffensperger earlier this summer.
Both Kemp and Raffensperger resisted Trump’s efforts, angering Trump, who ended up endorsing two other Republicans in their races for November’s midterm elections.
Both Kemp and Raffensperger won reelection.
Kemp is not the only governor to hear from Smith’s team in recent weeks. Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) was also contacted by the special counsel, his spokesperson confirmed earlier this month.
“He’s been responsive, and just as he’s done since the election, he will do the right thing,” Daniel Scarpinato told CNN.
This comes as expectation for yet another Trump indictment is building.
“I think it’s likely that something will happen this week,” former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said Sunday of a potential third Trump indictment.
Trump has already been indicted over his mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House in another investigation overseen by Smith, and in New York for his role in a hush money payment scheme involving porn star Stormy Daniels.
He could also face charges stemming from the Georgia special grand jury’s probe into efforts to undo Biden’s win there. Kemp testified before that body in November.