The Georgia GOP’s Spending on Legal Fees Could Be Costing It Donors

Some Georgians are still happy to chip in even though their money is going to lawyers and not candidates.

Georgia Fulton County Courthouse
The Georgia Republican Party has shelled out over $1.3 million in legal fees for three defendants in Fulton County. Alex Slitz/AP

Georgia’s Republican Party has committed to paying legal fees for alternate electors who tried to elect Donald Trump, but it’s seeing fallout from potential donors who don’t want their money to end up in a lawyer’s wallet.

“There are people that won’t donate to the party because they don’t want their money to go to pay legal bills,” said Brian Pritchard, first vice chairman of the Georgia GOP. “I can’t help but say it’s been detrimental to donations and the party.”

The party has spent over $1.3 million in legal fees on behalf of David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathy Latham since 2022. Each was indicted in the Fulton County case for serving as an alternate elector for Trump in 2020. They were acting as GOP officials when they committed the indicted offense, according to Pritchard.