A state judge in Georgia laughed former U.S. senator and Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue out of court, saying in essence that he had no idea what he was talking about when he filed suit late last year over the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Just days after announcing his campaign to become Georgia’s next governor, Perdue sued Fulton County, alleging that through “acts and omissions,” the county “circumvented the majority of the people” in Georgia. Perdue, who lost a special Senate election that year to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D), sought access to ballots in order to conduct a “forensic inspection.”
“Clearly,” the suit alleged, “unlawful counterfeit absentee ballots were counted and certified in the General Election.”
Superior Court Judge Robert C.I. McBurney didn’t buy it.
Perdue’s claims, McBurney wrote, consisted of “speculation, conjecture and paranoia — sufficient fodder for talk shows, op-ed pieces and social media platforms, but far short of what would legally justify a court taking such action.” He said the plaintiffs had failed to state a proper claim for declaratory relief, and granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the case.
Perdue’s suit, which echoed another unsuccessful water-muddying suit in the state, had asked the court’s permission, McBurney wrote, to “effectively empower Petitioners’ unnamed ‘forensic experts’ to intrude upon the sealed ballot materials of tens of thousands of Fulton County voters, hunt for speculative voter fraud or error, and then determine for themselves what the ‘actual’ vote count should have been in the Election.”
“This quixotic journey will not take place,” he said.
The suit was part of an act that Perdue has played for months now: In challenging Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who Donald Trump faulted for not stealing the 2020 election in Georgia on Trump’s behalf, Perdue has gone all in on the Big Lie. Contrary to Kemp, Perdue has said, he would not have certified the 2020 election results as governor.
Trump has failed to rally Republicans to Perdue’s side. Several high-profile GOP politicians, including two current governors, have announced their support for Kemp. On Friday, Kemp notched another big name: Former Vice President Mike Pence.
