Former Georgia lieutenant governor hoping Trump indictment is a turning point for GOP

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said he hopes former President Trump’s latest indictment will be a turning point for his party. 

In a Washington Post op-ed published Tuesday, Duncan claimed his son alerted him to Trump’s latest attack on social media. He added it was the former president who also urged him not to testify to the Fulton County grand jury amid its probe into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. 

Duncan, along with others, testified earlier Monday before the Fulton County grand jury, hours before it handed up its 98-page indictment.

“For the Republican Party, and myself, the playbook was familiar,” he wrote. “In the aftermath of the 2020 election, I earned Trump’s wrath for refusing to go along with his cockamamie schemes to overturn the election he lost because of his own lack of effort.”

“Most of the GOP in my home state of Georgia went along for Trump’s now potentially felonious ride,” he continued. “Now, that bill is coming due — not just for Trump and the 18 others who received indictments Monday night, but for Republicans everywhere.” 

Duncan, who served as lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2019 to 2023, also pointed out that under Trump’s leadership, the GOP experienced major losses in the midterms. He said the party still faces a real possibility of losing the 2024 presidential election to President Biden. 

He said Trump’s latest indictment could hurt him the most because the court proceedings will likely be televised, and members of his inner circle have been named and will also face charges.

“Wherever one falls on the ideological spectrum, it is sad to see the presidency of the United States reduced to such a circus,” Duncan concluded. “Rather than history repeating itself on an endless loop, I am hopeful that this latest chapter can be a pivot point for the Republican Party. If it’s not, we only have ourselves to blame for our electoral losses.”

His remarks come just days after Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on charges that range from making false statements and impersonating a public officer to racketeering — a charge usually reserved for organized crime.

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign last November, has been hit with three other indictments this year related to his business dealings, handling of classified documents and his behavior in the aftermath of the 2020 election.