As Brian Jack barnstormed across Georgia’s 3rd District with other Donald Trump loyalists on Monday, a rare policy difference between him and his runoff opponent emerged.
At stops before large, cheering crowds in Fayetteville and Concord, Jack backed federal efforts to “defund” local prosecutors who brought criminal charges against the former president and his allies.
Vowing to use the “power of the purse” if elected in next week’s runoff, the former Trump aide mentioned the New York hush money conviction and the pending election interference case in Atlanta.
“In Manhattan and Fulton County, you’re seeing challenges with Democratic prosecutors bringing these cases against President Trump and his allies,” Jack said in an interview. “Funding should go to our southern border. It shouldn’t go to prosecuting political opponents.”
His runoff opponent, former Georgia Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, has also attacked “lawfare” — what he described as a weaponized justice system — but doesn’t back direct cuts to prosecutors involved in Trump-related trials.
Instead, he said, “we should enforce and strengthen oversight into prosecutorial misconduct.”
Jack took much the same stance as House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and top Trump ally who joined Jack on the campaign trail — and drew an ovation when he promised to continue using his subpoena power to scrutinize Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
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NETANYAHU NO-SHOWS. Don’t be surprised if a large number of Democrats are nowhere to be found when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress on July 24.
Among them will be Democratic U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Lithonia, who told The Hill he “won’t attend and turn my back towards him, so I’m just going to stay away.”
Johnson is among a growing number of Democrats who could boycott the speech in protest of Israel’s ongoing war with Gaza. The conflict started on Oct. 7 after Hamas combatants invaded Israel, killed about 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages.
Democratic leaders worry about the backlash. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said that he wouldn’t have invited Netanyahu to address Congress without a commitment from the Israeli leader to a two-state solution.
“That’s exactly the fear I have is that it would be politically divisive, it would not help Israel,” Durbin told NBC News. “I’m waiting for clarity on the two-state solution. I think that is a central part of our strategy and I’m waiting for him to commit to it.”
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Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
HOUSE TURMOIL. A day ago, we broke the news of an internal report involving allegations of harassment against the Georgia House’s top Democrat brought by a staffer.
House Minority Leader James Beverly said the report, which found the allegations against him “cannot be substantiated,” amounted to proof the claims are false and unwarranted. Others aren’t so sure.
What’s clear is the caucus is still dealing with the fallout. House Democrats have been quietly engulfed in the controversy for weeks, and caucus action in the runup to the May primary ground to a halt.
Democratic legislators report lengthy and divisive meetings over the allegations that have split leaders of the caucus. Several staffers have left for other jobs, including two who joined President Joe Biden’s campaign.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
One tangible aftershock: State Rep. Shea Roberts of Atlanta abruptly stepped down as the caucus treasurer in May.
She wrote in a resignation letter that her goal is to elect more Democrats in November but she’s “been distracted from that objective by leadership issues that remain unresolved despite my best efforts.
“We seem to have lost sight of our common goal to take the majority so we can stop being furious and help our constituents in real ways,” she wrote.
We’re told an in-house election to succeed Roberts is scheduled for Tuesday. Among the potential candidates: Reps. Solomon Adesanya of Marietta and Long Tran of Dunwoody.
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VP INBOUND. The White House announced Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Atlanta on Friday for what marks her fourth trip to our battleground state so far this year.
Harris’ trip is a part of her “Economic Opportunity Tour,” which should also be read as a way for her to remind Georgia voters what the Biden administration has done for them lately.
Friday’s visit will highlight a recent $158 million federal grant that will help fund the first phase of “The Stitch,” a 14-acre greenspace planned to connect communities divided by the Downtown Connector.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
VOTER ELIGIBILITY. An organization aligned with former President Donald Trump is questioning the accuracy of Georgia’s voter registration list, an allegation that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called “disinformation.”
From the steps of the Georgia Capitol on Monday, longtime Trump aide Hogan Gidley of America First Policy Institute alleged that many people on Georgia’s voter rolls might not be eligible to vote, creating a possibility for fraud. Few cases of illegal voting have been proven in Georgia, and all voters are now required to provide photo ID before casting ballots in person or absentee.
Gidley relied on voter registration numbers that include “inactive” voters — registrants who haven’t participated in recent elections and are on track for cancellation — to claim that more than 100% of the eligible population is registered in 22 counties.
“That data leads to the obvious question: Are all the people on the voter rolls in the state of Georgia actually eligible to vote?” said Gidley, who was Trump’s deputy press secretary. “You needlessly open yourself to ineligible voters casting ballots.”
Our AJC colleague Mark Niesse reminds us that just because people remain registered after they move to a new address doesn’t mean they’re still eligible to vote in Georgia. State and federal laws require confirmations and waiting periods before voter registrations can be canceled.
Raffensperger wrote in a letter to state legislators Monday that there are nearly 7 million “active” voters in Georgia, accounting for 90% of the voting-age population.
Another 900,000 registrants are “inactive,” which occurs when they appear to have moved out of the state, or five years after they last voted or contacted elected officials. Their registrations are automatically canceled if they miss the next two general elections.
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Credit: Nicole Craine/The New York Times
Credit: Nicole Craine/The New York Times
REED’S REASONS. Ralph Reed is well-known to Georgians as the leader of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and a leading voice for the Christian right. So The Washington Post recently reached out to Reed, the author of “The Christian Case for Trump,” to ask whether former President Donald Trump’s felony convictions in New York changed Reed’s plans to support Trump in November. In a word: No.
Reed said, “Individual voters are going to assess the character and the integrity of these candidates on their own, as they well should.” He later added:
“As Faith and Freedom Coalition, my organization, we're a public policy organization, and Donald Trump was the most pro-Israel, the most pro-life, the most pro-family, and the most pro-religious freedom candidate in the history of our movement. And we supported him in ‘16 and ‘20, and I'll do so again in ‘24."
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
POLITICS AND PULPITS. Speaking of faith, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock recently sat down with The New Yorker magazine to discuss his dual role as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and as a U.S. senator.
“My faith is not a weapon used to beat other people down, it’s a bridge that I use to try to build the beloved community,” the Democrat said.
He was also asked about religious support for Trump from conservative evangelicals. Warnock criticized those who have “narrowed their religious discussion to matters of private morality, family values, one’s conduct around issues of human sexuality, marriage and the like” while still lining up behind Donald Trump.
“That's the question for this moment, who really is their God? Particularly, when we've been told by a lot of folks on the far right for years, that their focus is family values. When we've raised issues that we think also matter, that people like me think are also central to the Gospel, like how you treat the poor? They have narrowed the religious discussion to matters of private morality, one's conduct around issues of human sexuality, marriage, and the like."
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
GEORGIA ROYALTY. The king and queen of Netherlands kicked off a four-day tour of the U.S. with a round of stops in Atlanta on Monday.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima met with Gov. Brian Kemp at the Capitol, stopped by the King Center and the Beltline, toured a hip-hop music studio and attended a reception at the High Museum of Art.
Their tour continues in Savannah on Tuesday before heading to New York on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on the “Politically Georgia” show, Republican strategist Cody Hall joins the program to discuss Gov. Brian Kemp’s political plans as the Republican National Convention approaches in July.
Later, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin shares her experiences trying to upgrade Atlanta’s water and sewer infrastructure, just as Mayor Andre Dickens faces a mandate to do the same.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you missed Monday’s episode, the AJC’s Ernie Suggs discussed his recent interview with Morehouse College President David Thomas. Later, Emory University Professor Andra Gillespie explained Black voters’ top issues this election year, and the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman broke down the latest Trump trial news.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks at Everytown’s Gun Sense University conference to detail his record and future plans on gun safety.
- The House is back at work after a week-long recess.
- The Senate returns for a cloture vote on nominations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
‘CANCER MOONSHOT.’ Atlanta oncologist Dr. Edjah Nduom has been named to the National Cancer Advisory Board by President Joe Biden. As part of the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative, the Emory Winship physician will assist in a renewed White House research effort aimed at reducing U.S. cancer deaths by at least half within 25 years.
Nduom is one of 18 members on the National Cancer Advisory Board and will serve a six-year term. The 44-year-old also serves as the leader of the brain tumor disease team at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
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