Confusing Alabama and Georgia is no big deal.
After all, there really ain't that much difference between them two.
But he felt that he had to make a statement to cover his (very minor) gaffe.
Its not that the man lies, its that he lies when there is no reason or advantage in doing so. He lies because he would rather get caught in an obvious lie than admit he made even the most trivial of errors.
But what is really scary is that he has managed to intimidate and coerce the entire Republican Party to make fools of themselves in an effort to cover up his lies.