Following his inclusion in an indictment from Fulton County alleging involvement in a criminal conspiracy targeting Georgia’s election results from 2020, advocacy groups are pushing for the removal from office of state Sen. Shawn Still, a Republican. Still was among those who after the last presidential election joined the effort to assemble an essentially sham slate of electors from the state for Trump.
The scheme was also seen in other states, and it’s already led to criminal charges in another of these, Michigan. In another, Arizona, the matter remains under criminal investigation. Prosecutors have been rebuffing the excuses from those in the now former president’s corner that the purported slates of electors were simply meant as a potential backstop in case legal disputes over the results of the 2020 election turned out in Trump’s favor. By the time actual members of the electoral college formalized their votes after the 2020 race, there was no realistic indication that such an outcome was substantially possible, considering the consistent record of failure in court by Trump and allies of his.
Under the Georgia Constitution, an indictment of a public official on felony charges that relate to the performance of a defendant’s official duties is expected to lead to a review commission established at the state level to examine the question of the defendant continuing to exercise political power. The advocacy groups behind the new push wrote to Georgia GOP Governor Brian Kemp and state Attorney General Chris Carr to advocate for the establishment of such a commission, and those doing the outreach indicated they backed Still’s eventual removal.
“It is your Constitutional duty to ensure that a review commission is established, with the Attorney General, one member of the Senate, and one member of the House, to consider the removal or suspension of Senator Still. The grave allegations contained in the indictment make clear Senator Still’s alleged activities prohibit him from carrying out his duties of office,” the organizations said, arguing Still’s standing to do his job was shown to be negatively impacted. Those behind the push included All Voting is Local Action, Fair Fight Action, New Georgia Project Action Fund, and Represent GA Action Network.
