A Georgia court of appeals disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in his election interference case on Thursday.

The court did not toss Trump's indictment entirely, but Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office now have "no authority to proceed."

"After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office," the filing states. "The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring." 

The court said while it recognizes that "an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings." 

"Accordingly, we reverse the trial court’s denial of the appellants’ motion to disqualify DA Willis and her office," the filing states. "As we conclude that the elected district attorney is wholly disqualified from this case, ‘the assistant district attorneys — whose only power to prosecute a case is derived from the constitutional authority of the district attorney who appointed them — have no authority to proceed,'" the filing states. 

READ THE APPEALS COURT RULING – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the "whole case has been a disgrace to justice." 

"It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump," he said, "They used anyone and anybody and she has been disqualified and her boyfriend has been disqualified and they stole funds and went on trips." 

Trump told Fox News Digital that the case "should not be allowed to go any further." 

"There is no way such corrupt people can lead a case and then it gets taken over by somebody else," Trump told Fox News Digital. "It was a corrupt case, so how could it be taken over by someone else?" 

 "The case has to be thrown out because it was started corruptly by an incompetent prosecutor who received millions of dollars through her boyfriend—who received it from her—and then they went on cruises all the time," Trump said, referring to Willis' relationship with a former prosecutor on her team, Nathan Wade. 

"Therefore, the case is entirely dead," Trump said. "Everybody should receive an apology, including those wonderful patriots who have been caught up in this for years." 

This is a breaking story. Check back soon for updates.

President-elect Donald Trump has a new game plan for Herschel Walker, his longtime friend, ally and former football star.

Three years after Trump handpicked Walker to run for the Senate in his home state of Georgia in a crucial, combative, expensive and high-profile Senate race, the president-elect is now selecting his friend to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas.

"Herschel has spent decades serving as an ambassador to our nation’s youth, our men and women in the military, and athletes at home and abroad," Trump said in a statement Tuesday night on social media, as he pointed to Walker's resume, which includes serving as co-chair of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during Trump's first term in the White House.

HERSCHEL WALKER PROVES THAT IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

Walker is a former professional and college football star running back who won a Heisman Trophy and helped propel the University of Georgia to a national championship.

His friendship with the former and future president goes back to his days playing for the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals USFL football team in the 1980s. Walker also was a major Trump supporter and surrogate in the 2020 presidential election.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

In August 2021, Walker launched a Republican Senate campaign in Georgia after months of support and encouragement from Trump to run for office.

Walker, a first-time politician, was dogged during his Senate run by controversial statements and damaging revelations about his personal life and business career.

The race between Walker and Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock ended up being one of the most closely watched Senate battles in the 2022 midterms. The contest went into overtime, with Walker ending up narrowly losing to Warnock in a runoff election in December of that year.

MEET TRUMP'S CABINET AND OTHER TOP ADMINISTRATION PICKS

This year, Walker joined Trump on the campaign trail in Georgia days before Election Day, as the former president carried the key southeastern battleground state after narrowly losing it to President Biden four years ago.

Walker becomes the third Republican who lost a recent Senate race in Georgia to be nominated by Trump for a post in his second administration.

Former Sen. David Perdue, who lost his seat to Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2020 cycle, was selected by Trump to serve as ambassador to China, and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in the 2020 cycle, was picked by Trump to run the Small Business Administration.

Trump's naming of Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas is the second time this month the former football star made headlines.

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This past weekend, Walker graduated from the University of Georgia, 42 years after he last attended the school.

EXCLUSIVE – Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia will make her first visit to Capitol Hill since President-elect Trump nominated her to steer the Small Business Administration (SBA) in his second term in the White House.

Fox News has learned that Loeffler will meet on Tuesday with roughly a dozen Republican senators. Among those she'll huddle with are Sen. John Barasso of Wyoming, who ranks third in GOP Senate leadership and is the incoming Majority Whip, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Loeffler, who hails from a family of small business owners and entrepreneurs, was raised working on the family farm in Illinois. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she spent nearly three decades working her way up in the private sector.  

Along with her husband Jeff, Loeffler built a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company from 100 employees to 15,000. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

Loeffler later launched another company, named Bakkt, as its founding CEO and first employee. She was also a part owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.

HEAD HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF WHOM TRUMP'S PICKED TO TOP ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS

"As an entrepreneur and business leader who founded startups and helped build a Fortune 500 company, Senator Loeffler looks forward to meeting with her former colleagues this week to discuss empowering America’s job creators," Loeffler spokesperson Caitlin O'Dea told Fox News in a statement. "She is honored to be President Trump’s choice to lead the SBA, and, if confirmed, looks forward to advancing his agenda to make the small business economy great again."

Loeffler and her husband have long been major donors to Republican causes and and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler serves as co-chair of the president-elect's inaugural committee.

Trump called Loeffler, a longtime ally, "tremendous fighter" as he announced her nomination as SBA administrator.

And Ernst, in a statement, said that "as a successful business owner, Kelly knows what it takes to innovate and create jobs that support American families, and I am confident that she will fight to get Washington bureaucrats off the backs of our nation's small businesses."

While successful in the business world, Loeffler was not well known until becoming a politician.

After GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to his deteriorating health, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia appointed Loeffler to fill Isakson's unexpired term until the next regular election.

Loeffler narrowly lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January 2021, after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in a crowded field of contenders in the November 2020 Senate election.

The Fulton County District Attorney's Office declined this week to turn over any new communications between District Attorney Fani Willis and outgoing special counsel Jack Smith, asserting in a new court filing that the documents either do not exist or are exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.

The update was shared Tuesday by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that sued Willis in March after her office denied having any records of communication between Willis and Smith or between Willis and the House January 6th Committee.

HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATING WHETHER FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ‘COORDINATED’ WITH JAN 6 COMMITTEE

Both Smith and the House Select Committee had been investigating alleged efforts by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election—putting their investigations directly in the crosshairs of Judicial Watch and other conservative activists. 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis last Monday to produce any records of communication with either Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days, siding with Judicial Watch in determining that Willis had indeed violated the state’s open records act by failing to respond to the lawsuit. 

Willis, for her part, claims she was not properly served by the group.

The Fulton County Open Records Department appears to disagree. In a new court filing this week, they said that their staff conducted a "diligent search" but had not uncovered any records of documents or communications between Willis and Smith, the special counsel tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to oversee two investigations into the alleged actions of former President Donald Trump.

Additionally, staff for the Open Records Department asserted any records or documents between Willis and the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 are still "legally exempt" or "exempted from disclosure" to Judicial Watch under the Georgia Open Records Law, which itself protects against the release of documents or records that arose from an investigation, subsequent indictment, or prosecution in the ongoing case against Trump and his allies. 

The filing comes as Willis's actions have come under scrutiny by Republican lawmakers and conservative nonprofit groups. 

Members of the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee have said Willis asked the House Select Committee on January 6th to share information with her office, prompting additional scrutiny into those communications.

TRUMP BOOKED AT FULTON COUNTY JAIL AFTER CHARGES STEMMING FROM 2020 ELECTION PROBE

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in Fulton County last year to all charges stemming from a sweeping racketeering indictment brought by the DA's office, which accused them of attempting to overturn the results of the presidential election. 

The charges against Trump in Georgia had been on hold after his attorneys filed an appeal to have Willis disqualified from the case, citing alleged conflicts of interest.

Importantly, the charges against Trump in the state have not yet been officially dropped, despite his status as president-elect. 

The case's status comes as Smith has wound down all federal court proceedings against Trump following his victory in the 2024 election and longstanding Justice Department policy that prevents U.S. prosecutors from bringing federal criminal charges against a sitting president. 

Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.

An apparent swatting call at the north Georgia home of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left a woman dead following a car accident involving local police.

Greene took to social media on Monday to report that she was the subject of a bomb threat directed at her home. The congresswoman said the Rome Police Department’s assistant chief received the threat via email, prompting a bomb squad to be dispatched to her home.

Greene says that this is not the first time she has been the subject of a swatting call since being elected to Congress, noting that she has been "swatted at least nine times." 

A swatting call involves alerting 911 of a false threat to a specific location or person, which invokes a police response and can divert resources from real crimes or threats.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SAYS SHE WAS 'SWATTED' FOR 8TH TIME: 'IT WAS TERRIFYING'

Greene said the email was traced back to a Russian IP address and her office will be working with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Rome police reported that during the attempt to respond to Greene's home, a deadly traffic incident took place involving one of their officers.

"On Monday December 9, a Rome Police Department officer was traveling in a personal vehicle en route to take his place with the Bomb Squad on a call.  This officer was involved in a traffic accident on Redmond Rd near Walmart which has created significant travel delays around the Norfolk Southern Railroad Tracks."

MTG TO INTRODUCE BILL AIMED AT 'SWATTERS' AS RICK SCOTT BECOMES LATEST TARGET

Greene said she was "heartsick" over the deadly accident, which she said claimed the life of a woman and injured a police officer.

"I’m heartsick right now. I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home," she wrote. 

"These violent political threats have fatal consequences. It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act," the post said. "My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department."

Greene was noticeably outraged throughout her updates, accusing the perpetrator of the call of committing murder.

"I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m also angry. This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again," she said.

She went on to thank Rome PD for protecting the city and putting their lives at stake.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Rome police for comment.

A Georgia judge ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams to hand over records related to her communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House January 6 Committee after failing to comply with a request under the Open Records Act (ORA).

The nonprofit group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against Willis in March after her office claimed it did not have any documents and communications on file between Willis and Smith or Willis and the January 6th Committee.

But it turned out her office did have communications, and on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis to produce them within five business days. McBurney also determined in his ruling that Willis violated Georgia’s open records act by failing to respond to Judicial Watch’s lawsuit.

McBurney granted judgment by default after the DA did not make any ‘meritorious defense.’ Instead, Willis claimed she was not served properly.

TRUMP'S LEGAL CASES LIKELY TO DIE OUT AMID IMPENDING WHITE HOUSE RETURN, EXPERTS SAY

"Plaintiff is thus entitled to judgment by default as if every item and paragraph of the complaint were supported by proper and sufficient evidence," McBurney wrote in his decision, while also ordering her to pay Judicial Watch’s attorney’s fees. "Here, this means Plaintiff has established that Defendant violated the ORA by failing to either turn over responsive records or else notify Plaintiff of her decision to withhold some or all such records."

A hearing on the attorney’s fees and costs is set to take place on Dec. 20, 2024 at 10 a.m.

"Fani Willis is something else. We’ve been doing this work for 30 years, and this is the first time in our experience a government official has been found in default for not showing up in court to answer an open records lawsuit," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "Judicial Watch looks forward to getting any documents from the Fani Willis operation about collusion with the Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi’s Congress on her unprecedented and compromised ‘get-Trump’ prosecution."

The documents Judicial Watch sought to obtain stemmed from an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into whether Willis coordinated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in their investigations.

HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATING WHETHER FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ‘COORDINATED’ WITH JAN 6 COMMITTEE

U.S. lawmakers had said Willis asked the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with her office.

Last year, President-elect Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection to a racketeering indictment for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Specifically, Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

TRUMP BOOKED AT FULTON COUNTY JAIL AFTER CHARGES STEMMING FROM 2020 ELECTION PROBE

Four of the defendants who were charged alongside Trump took plea deals in exchange for testifying against the other defendants.

Trump's team and other defendants had previously asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments to determine whether Willis could continue to prosecute the case.

The charges against Trump have not officially been dropped, though the case is on pause as Trump and his co-defendants appeal a Fulton County judge's decision to not disqualify Willis from prosecuting the case.

The Court of Appeals canceled the arguments in November, which were initially scheduled for early December. 

Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX — Gov. Brian Kemp, the new chair of the Republican Governors Association, is aiming to build on the GOP momentum coming out of the 2024 elections as he looks ahead to the next gubernatorial showdowns.

"We've had great successes," the popular GOP governor of Georgia told Fox News Digital as he pointed to President-elect Trump's 2024 victory as well as Republican gubernatorial, congressional and down-ballot triumphs this month.

Republicans held onto their 27-23 gubernatorial advantage in the 2024 elections, thanks in part to the efforts of the RGA.

HELPING TRUMP GET OFF TO A FAST START A KEY MISSION FOR REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS

Looking ahead, New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial elections next year, giving them outsized national attention and making them key barometers for the mood of Americans during the start of a new presidential term.

A competitive GOP primary is underway in blue-state New Jersey, where Republicans hope to win a gubernatorial election for the first time in a dozen years.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY WITH TRUMP ELECTION, ‘WE’VE GOT A FRIEND IN THE WHITE HOUSE'

And in Virginia, the GOP is rallying around Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears as she aims to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin [Virginia governors can only serve one consecutive four-year term] and make history as the state's first woman governor and the nation's first Black female governor.

"We're ready to keep working as we move into what will be a tough cycle for us in Virginia, in New Jersey, and then having 36 races in 2026," Kemp said last week in his first interview after being elected RGA chair at the group's annual winter meeting, which was held this year at a waterfront resort in Marco Island, Florida.

Kemp emphasized that "my goal is for us to continue to raise enough money to be competitive. The Democrats are outspending us because they have big check writers, but we have a lot of really dedicated donors. We'll try to continue to build the tent, make sure that we have good candidates and win because our policies are better."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR AFTER HE LEAVES OFFICE

Kemp said his own comfortable re-election in 2022 and Trump's victory in battleground Georgia this month in the presidential election "gives us a lot of confidence, a lot of hope, but we also know that the '26 midterm is going to be tough." 

Kemp is term-limited and can't seek another term in office in 2026. The contest to succeed him will be a top gubernatorial election in two years.

"I'm going to be very engaged, you can rest assured, to making sure that my [successors] are Republican. I have a vested interest in doing that," Kemp said. "We'll be working with the Trump administration and a lot of other people to make sure that that's happening not only in Georgia but in other states around the country, in places like Kansas, where we have a Democratic governor right now, in places like Arizona, where we have a really good shot at winning the governor's races. So we're going to be on offense."

Georgia will also have a high-profile Senate showdown as Republicans aim to defeat Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.

Asked if he'll be courted by national Republicans to take on Ossoff, Kemp responded, "Well, I may."

But he quickly pivoted, stressing that "my focus right now, being just elected the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is on raising money for us to be competitive in 2025 and 2026. I've made the commitment to do that, and I'm going to fulfill that commitment. We'll see what happens down the road with anything else."

Asked if he's not ruling out a possible 2026 Senate bid or even a 2028 White House run, the governor said, "I try to keep all doors open in politics."

The Biden administration is seeking to hand out a multi-billion dollar federal loan to fund a large scale electric vehicle manufacturing plant just months before the president's term ends.

The Department of Energy announced on Monday that they will be giving Rivian Automotive, an EV manufacturer, a $6.57 billion loan to finance construction of a 9 million-square-foot electric vehicle facility in Georgia, called Project Horizon.

The DOE said that the initiative "supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal that half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 be zero-emissions," an EV target likely to be tossed out by the incoming administration under President-elect Donald Trump.

The conditional commitment comes as President Joe Biden has been dishing out billions of dollars to fund climate-related initiatives around the country to cement his legacy on the issue during the final months of his presidency.

TRUMP PLANNING TO LIFT BIDEN'S LNG PAUSE, INCREASE OIL DRILLING DURING 1ST DAYS IN OFFICE: REPORT

If the deal is finalized, the DOE anticipates the facility in Stanton Springs North, Georgia could produce up to 400,000 mass-market electric SUVs and crossover vehicles.

GAVIN NEWSOM THREATENS INTERVENTION IF TRUMP KILLS BIDEN'S $7.5K EV TAX CREDIT

However, before it is finalized, the company must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions before the financing documents can be signed, according to the DOE.

This means the White House only has two months to finalize the deal before the Trump administration steps in and could derail any plans that don't align with its agenda.

The funds will come from the Biden administration's Loan Programs Office (LPO) and include $5.975 billion of principal and $592 million of capitalized interest, according to a press release announcing the loan.

"Today’s announcement reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen the nation’s manufacturing competitiveness, helping ensure American businesses remain global leaders in the rapidly expanding EV industry," the DOE said in a press release announcing the project.

A state senator is demanding that Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr file an emergency motion to intervene and demand the death penalty against Laken Riley’s killer, but Carr's office maintains that he does not have the legal authority to do so.

District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, for the Western Judicial District encompassing Athens, previously wrote in court documents that she would not pursue the death penalty, citing "collateral consequences to undocumented defendants." 

Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant who received taxpayer-funded flights, was found guilty Wednesday of stalking, raping and murdering Riley in February. The nursing student, out for an early morning run on the University of Georgia campus, fought her attacker for approximately 18 minutes but died from blunt force trauma. Ibarra bashed her skull with a rock after dragging her off a wooded trail, prosecutors said. 

"I am officially calling on Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to intervene and demand the death penalty for the murderer of Laken Riley," state Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican, wrote on X. "District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez let her radical political agenda stand in the way of justice. By refusing to seek the death penalty, she denied Laken’s family, friends, and community the full measure of justice they deserve."

"I'm very concerned, you know, about any student going to the University of Georgia when this area is a sanctuary city now. And, you know, these killers, these guys can come in here, and they don't have to worry about capital punishment," Moore told Fox News Digital. "Probably $2 million is what we're going to have to pay as taxpayers to give him three meals and a cot for the rest of his life. You know, three hots and a cot." 

LAKEN RILEY TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS BIDEN-ERA IMMIGRATION CRISIS AS MOM OF SLAIN CHEERLEADER AWAITS JUSTICE

A spokesperson for Carr’s office stated that the state attorney general does not have jurisdiction and, therefore, cannot intervene, but Moore argued otherwise. 

"I can send you a copy of the Constitution of Georgia, section 3, paragraph 4. It clearly states that the attorney general has jurisdiction in any felony case," Moore told Fox News Digital. "And the state, I mean the attorney general's office, has intervened in cases before. You know, he is the chief law enforcement officer of our state. He should have known that the district attorney is one of the most liberal district attorneys in the country, that she wasn't going to pursue the death penalty. Why even have capital punishment in our state?" 

"I mean clear evidence, it's not like we're killing an innocent person here," Moore said. "I mean, his DNA was underneath Laken Riley's fingernails. It was very clear he's the perpetrator. He's the guilty one. And we have capital punishment in our state for a reason. And I can't imagine another crime that would suit capital punishment like his crime. He's the chief law enforcement officer, it's clearly stated in the constitution that he has jurisdiction." 

Regarding the part of Georgia's Constitution that Moore cited, Carr's office said it does not say that the Attorney General has jurisdiction in any felony case, just to represent the state before the Supreme Court in death penalty cases.

LAKEN RILEY MURDER: JUDGE SENTENCES COLLEGE STUDENT KILLER AFTER FAMILY ADDRESSES ‘MONSTER’ IN COURT

In a separate statement reacting to the verdict, Carr said Riley’s death "should have never occurred" and "it is absolutely gut-wrenching to hear the evidence that Laken Riley fought for her life and fought for her dignity, and the statements made by her family and friends in court break my heart." 

"We’re grateful to Sheila Ross with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council for ensuring that a conviction was obtained, and we will continue to pray for all who knew and loved Laken," Carr said. 

Gonzalez lost her re-election bid this month. She handed the prosecution of Ibarra over to Sheila Ross in February.

In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital regarding Gonzalez's reasoning for not seeking the death penalty, the DA's office told Fox News Digital that the reference in court documents to collateral consequences for undocumented defendants is "DA Gonzalez's stance on sentencing in general."

"Life without parole is an appropriately serious sentence and is a decision supported by the family, as heard in the impact statements delivered by Laken Riley's family and friends during yesterday's sentencing," a spokesperson for Gonzalez added. 

EXCLUSIVE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says that justice was served after a judge sentenced the 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela who was convicted of murdering Laken Riley to a life sentence in prison.

"I'm glad that justice was served, and it was swift and severe," the governor said in a Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday soon after a judge in Athens County, Georgia convicted and then sentenced Jose Antonio Ibarra, a migrant who had entered the U.S. illegally.

Kemp said that the conviction and sentencing was "no surprise" and emphasized that Riley's murder was "a really tragic set of circumstances. Tragic for that family and I've certainly had them in my thoughts and prayers. I know that people in Georgia and around the country have."

JUDGE ANNOUNCES SENTENCE IN LAKEN RILEY MURDER TRIAL

The 22-year-old Riley, a nursing student, was attacked in February while running on a trail on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Ibarra was charged in connection with the killing a day later.

The judge, H. Patrick Haggard of State Superior Court in Athens-Clarke County, rather than a jury, decided the case following a request from Ibarra’s lawyers after they unsuccessfully worked to move the case out of Athens.

Riley's killing was repeatedly spotlighted by now-President-elect Trump during this year's presidential campaign, as he argued for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants in the country.

Kemp, taking aim at President Biden's border security actions, argued that "the policies are outrageous. They've gotten people killed not only in Georgia but around the country and that's why our people elected Donald Trump to be our president, or at least a big reason for that. So we look forward to working with the administration like we did in their first term to secure the border and make sure these things aren't happening in our local communities."

And Kemp emphasized that "it is just literally heartbreaking for this family, for her fellow students that she was in school with, for her friends, for local communities and really for the whole state."

Kemp was interviewed by Fox News Digital in Marco Island, Florida, minutes after he was elected chair of the Republican Governors Association.