Brian Kemp, Georgia’s secretary of state and Republican gubernatorial candidate, has launched an investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia over an alleged hacking attempt of the state’s voter registration system, ABC News reports.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cyber crimes,” said Candice Broce, press secretary for Kemp at the Secretary of State’s office.
The investigation came only two days before a gubernatorial election in which Kemp has likewise been accused of seeking to use his office to suppress votes. The governor’s move has been seen as a “political stunt” largely due to its timing.
Kemp’s office further said in its statement that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been alerted of the issue. The DHS confirmed it had been informed of the investigation, but refused to comment further.
Kemp’s opponents were quick to denounce his announcement, claiming it was “100 percent false” and an “example of why he cannot be trusted and should not be overseeing an election in which he is also a candidate for governor.”
Executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, Rebecca DeHart, issued a statement later that same day in which she accused the governor of smearing his opponent with “false accusations,” which she deemed a pathetic attempt “to cover up his own failures.”
“Within the past hour it was revealed that Brian Kemp’s office, along with the FBI, was notified by a third party yesterday morning regarding a major security vulnerability of Georgia’s elections database,” DeHart said, adding that instead of fixing the problem and warning “Georgians that their personal information may be compromised,” Kemp “instead launched politically motivate accusations against his political opponents.”
The move was also blasted by Stacey Abrams, who is running against Kemp, and who if elected would become the first African-American woman governor in the United States.
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