Gov. Kemp: 'This needs to stop'

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp called for an end to the conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding the 2020 election while speaking to reporters at the State Capitol late Thursday.

Kemp specifically addressed recent online conspiracy theories that the deaths of a GBI agent and Harrison Deal, who was dating one of Kemp's daughters, were somehow tied to the election.

"There is so much misinformation out there.  Quite honestly, it has gotten ridiculous," Gov. Kemp said. "Some of it, from death threats, you know, bribes from China, the social media posts that my children are getting and look, we have the 'no crying in politics rule' in the Kemp house, but it is stuff if I said that, I would be taken to the woodshed and would never see the light of day.  It is embarrassing that someone would send something like that to a 20-year-old child that just lost the love of her life, not to mention what the Deal family is having to deal with because of the conspiracy theories that are out there."

Gov. Kemp said he continues to answer questions from the public, but said his family and the families of other elected officials should be off-limits.

"This needs to stop," Kemp said.  "People need to deal with facts and we'll give them to them.  And if anybody has an issue with something I've done, they need to come see me and I'll talk to them about it.  They don't need to bother my wife or my children or any other person that's serving in elected office--their wife or children--because I can assure you, I can handle myself."

Kemp said he was pleased that the Secretary of State's Office decided to partner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct an audit of absentee ballot signatures and he thinks it will give Georgians confidence about the process.

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