David Perdue thinks Chris Wray is doing a good job. In today's Washington, that's a significant endorsement.
Wray, a former Atlanta attorney and the current FBI director, found himself the object of President Donald Trump’s ire this week, after he endorsed an inspector general’s finding that his agency’s investigation into Russian efforts on Trump’s behalf during the 2016 presidential contest was justified.
Wray also said the FBI had “no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election,” debunking a favorite Trump conspiracy theory.
Trump attacked Wray in a Monday in a Tweet that suggested his future with the FBI was in question. At a Tuesday rally in Pennsylvania, Trump opined that “you have great people in the FBI, but not in leadership.”
On Wednesday, Politico.com noted that several Senate Republicans were coming to Wray's defense:
Given that the FBI has had three directors since Trump took office, Republicans are not exactly eager to replace Wray and create more instability at the law enforcement agency.
Perdue sat next to Wray at his Senate confirmation hearing in 2017, and is close to Trump. But he was not among the senators quoted in the Politico piece – he’s been busy trying to avoid another federal shutdown over the budget.
So while we had him on the phone on another matter, we asked the soon-to-be senior senator from Georgia whether he thought Wray was doing a good job.
“I believe he is. He had a very difficult job that he walked into,” Perdue said. “Nothing’s changed from the time I introduced Chris Wray.”
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The Washington Post reports that six or more House Democrats in swing districts could vote against impeaching President Donald Trump when the matter comes to a floor vote – probably next week. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, won't be among them.
During the late Wednesday night mark-up session by the House Judiciary Committee, McBath said she would support articles of impeachment. “I am greatly saddened by what we have learned, and I am forced to face a solemn conclusion,” McBath said. “I believe the president abused the power of his office, putting his own interests above the needs of our nation.”
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Meanwhile, it's looking like the U.S. Senate may opt for a speedy trial in January. From the Washington Post:
Senate Republicans are coalescing around a strategy of holding a short impeachment trial early next year that would include no witnesses, a plan that could clash with President Trump's desire to stage a public defense of his actions toward Ukraine that would include testimony the White House believes would damage its political rivals.
Several GOP senators on Wednesday said it would be better to limit the trial and quickly vote to acquit Trump, rather than engage in what could become a political circus.
This means that a vote to convict and remove or exonerate Trump could be the first major vote cast by Georgia’s Kelly Loeffler, who replaces Johnny Isakson on Jan. 1. The Senate calendar is currently blank for the entire month of January in anticipation of the trial.
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Over at Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, Joel K. Goldstein doesn't wholly dismiss the possibility of Stacey Abrams becoming the running mate of a Democratic presidential nominee in 2020, but says her selection would bust a rather established pattern:
Presidential candidates tend to choose running mates with considerable experience as senators, governors, in high national executive office (including as national party chair), or in the House of Representatives. Since 1976, the 16 first-time vice presidential candidates averaged about 14 years of service in those offices. Only three selectees -- Geraldine Ferraro (six), [John] Edwards (six), and [Sarah] Palin (two) -- had six years or less in those positions.
…Since 1940, when presidential candidates began generally choosing their own running mates, 15 of the 18 first-time Democratic running mates have been current senators, the exceptions being Henry Wallace (1940), Sargent Shriver (1972), and Ferraro (1984).
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Speaking of Stacey Abrams: Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has pledged $5 million to her Fair Fight Action organization, Axios reported in its morning newsletter.
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Posted earlier this morning: Democrat Stacey Evans, who lost a primary battle for governor in 2018, will run for the state House seat being vacated next year by state Rep. Pat Gardner, D-Atlanta.
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The veteran conservative advocacy group known as GOPAC has announced that it intends to spend $200,000 next year to boost Republican state legislative candidates in Georgia.
The investment is meant to counter Democrats who hope to leverage enthusiasm and disgust with President Donald Trump to flip at least 16 Georgia House seats next year and take control of the chamber.
GOPAC was founded in 1978 by Delaware Gov. Pete DuPont and became an influential voice in conservative politics during the 1980s and 1990s under the leadership of Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich. It recruits and trains candidates to run for public office.
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Watchdog activist William Perry has been releasing a regular series of videos dubbed the "Georgia accountability minute."
The latest focuses on the state Public Service Commission and features Perry in full Boss Hogg attire. Check out the cosplay here.
