The latest criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump has exposed the rifts among Coastal Georgia Republicans, who are torn between loyalty to their party leader and concern over his mounting legal woes.
Trump faces 78 felony charges in three states
Last week, special counsel Jack Smith filed the third criminal indictment against Trump in the U.S. District Court in Washington, accusing him of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and conspiracy to defraud the United States in relation to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The indictment brought the total number of felony charges against Trump to 78, as he is also facing prosecution in New York and Florida for tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and campaign finance violations.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigations a “witch hunt” and a “political persecution” by the Biden administration and the “deep state”. He has also refused to cooperate with the authorities and has vowed to fight the charges in court.
Local GOP lawmakers step gingerly
The reaction of local Republican officeholders to Trump’s latest legal troubles has been cautious and muted, as they try to balance their support for the former president with their own political interests. First District Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, who joined other Republican lawmakers in 2020 in seeking to overturn the results of the presidential election in four states, tweeted last Thursday: “This administration’s blatant targeting of a political opponent should be eye opening to every American.” However, he did not mention Trump by name or express any solidarity with him.
Other GOP state lawmakers from Coastal Georgia, such as Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah) and Reps. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick) and Jon Burns (R-Effingham), have not made any public statements about Trump’s indictment or the implications for their party.
Conservative media and activists demand tough response
On the other hand, some conservative media outlets and activists have been more vocal and defiant in their defense of Trump and their criticism of the Justice Department. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (14th District) tweeted last Thursday: “The DOJ is going full COMMUNIST today, arresting Joe Biden’s top political opponent, President Donald Trump. This isn’t just an attack on Trump, it’s an attack on every American who stands in the way of a complete Communist Democrat takeover of our country.”
Greene, along with Andrew Clyde (9th District) and Mike Collins (10th District), were among those Republican members of the Georgia delegation calling for cuts to the Justice Department in retaliation for the charges filed by Smith. They also demanded that Smith be fired and that Attorney General Merrick Garland resign.
The chair of the 1st District Republican Committee, Kandiss Taylor of Baxley, was also rallying other Republicans to stand by Trump. She wrote on Facebook: “President Trump won’t break. He won’t take a deal. No matter how many FAKE indictments they write. He will win for a THIRD time. The people are LOUD and STRONG. We will secure our elections.
Coastal Georgia voters still loyal to Trump
Despite his legal troubles, Trump still enjoys strong support from Coastal Georgia voters, who gave him decisive victories over Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. According to a recent poll by The Current, a local news outlet, 72% of Republican voters in the region said they would vote for Trump again if he runs for president in 2024, while only 16% said they would prefer another candidate. The poll also found that 68% of Republican voters believed that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, while only 20% accepted Biden’s victory as legitimate.
The Current’s editor-in-chief Mary Landers said that the poll results showed that Trump’s base was still loyal and enthusiastic about him, despite his legal challenges and controversies. She said that Coastal Georgia Republicans were influenced by conservative media sources that portrayed Trump as a victim of a conspiracy and a hero of democracy. She also said that many Republicans feared that abandoning Trump would alienate his supporters and hurt their chances of winning future elections.
