When Shaye Moss testified before the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, she said she hardly left the house and was afraid to use her name in public. Her mother, Ruby Freeman, said she had to flee her home after the FBI encouraged her to go into hiding.
That was the price the two Fulton County election workers paid for doing their jobs — and then getting targeted by a Donald Trump-fueled sham conspiracy theory after his defeat in Georgia.
An investigative report released by the Georgia Elections Board this week formally dismissed allegations of election fraud against the mother-daughter duo, finding the claims to be “false and unsubstantiated.”
Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP
Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP
A separate report also systematically debunked other claims of ballot-stuffed suitcases at the vote-counting center at State Farm Arena and “pristine” or otherwise suspicious ballots being counted during a risk-limiting audit.
This all happened at the same meeting where the state Elections Board decided against taking over Fulton County’s elections operations.
The lengthy investigation of 2020 election fraud allegations, involving state and federal authorities, underscored the insidious nature of the Trump-backed lies — and the toll they took on innocent victims.
In one instance, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani seized on a heavily edited clip that Giuliani said showed Moss and Freeman were passing USB drives “like vials of heroin or cocaine” during vote-counting operations. Moss was asked by House investigators what her mother actually passed her.
“A ginger mint,” she replied.
***
GREENE VS. BOEBERT. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene might be learning the art of making friends and gaining power, but she is still as fiery as ever. And on Wednesday that energy was directed at her Republican colleague and onetime ally, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert.
The feud between two stars of the far-right has been simmering for months, but it came to a head this week when Boebert filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden that are similar to papers Greene had already submitted except for one subtle change. Boebert used a procedural maneuver to force an immediate House vote, allowing her impeachment proposal to leapfrog Greene’s.
Greene didn’t like that and accused Boebert of copying her work. Boebert confronted Greene on the House floor during Wednesday’s floor debate. The resulting exchange can’t be printed in a family paper, but the Daily Beast got the scoop and Greene’s team was quick to confirm its accuracy.
We caught up with Greene afterward, and she downplayed the dustup. But there was also a bit of shade when we asked if she is bothered that the House will vote on Boebert’s impeachment proposal and not hers.
“Oh, no, no, I’m not frustrated about that at all,” the Rome Republican said. “She copied mine. So, it’s a form of flattery, really.”
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
WRAY TALKS SHOP. FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke to the Commerce Club on Tuesday night — just down the road from his old offices at King & Spalding, the white-shoe Atlanta law firm.
Our colleague Tamar Hallerman was on hand for Wray’s speech, when he covered everything from the bureau’s sprawling investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack to fellow Georgian, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, articles of impeachment against him. More:
Wray said Tuesday that his approach to dealing with Congress is “to try to be as transparent and cooperative as I responsively can."
“I have enormous respect for congressional oversight, and I think that's an important part of our responsibilities as an agency who has vast powers," he said. But Wray added that he has a duty to “protect confidential human sources" and “respect grand jury secrecy."
“There are a host of other obligations that the FBI director and the FBI as an institution also have, and so the challenge is to try and find a way to do both," he said. “That's what I've been doing and that's what I expect to continue doing."
***
PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY. State Sen. Josh McLaurin noted the bizarre scene at a Denver conference, where a left-leaning crowd showered former Republican Gov. Rick Perry with applause. Perry is a staunch conservative Republican and ex-member of Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Why the warm reception? “Because he’s talking about how psychedelics can address treatment-resistant PTSD faced by veterans and first responders,” McLaurin said on Twitter.
Colorado and Oregon have taken steps to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms to treat alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. Still, some experts say more research is needed before the treatment is adopted.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
McLaurin told us he wants to bring the conversation to Georgia, perhaps piggybacking off a stalled 2022 proposal for a study committee on the use of psychotherapy for PTSD and depressive disorders.
“We have thousands of vets and first responders in Georgia with post-traumatic stress and health care systems that have failed them,” the Sandy Springs Democrat said. “We owe it to them to explore breakthrough therapies backed by strong research.”
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- India Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a joint session of Congress then attend a state dinner with President Joe Biden at the White House.
- The U.S. House will take a procedural vote on a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden to the Homeland Security Committee.
- The Senate will vote on House-passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, that would block federal regulations on pistol braces.
***
Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
SCHIFF CENSURED. The U.S. House voted along party lines to censure California Democrat Adam Schiff for his role in leading an investigation of former President Donald Trump that fueled his first impeachment.
Democrats were outraged, chanting “shame” as Speaker Kevin McCarthy called Schiff to the front to read out the official censure message. They said Republicans pushed through the censure without laying out a case of wrongdoing other than they disliked that Schiff had been publicly critical of Trump.
But Republicans stood by their vote. Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, said the censure could deter lawmakers in the future from making critical statements they can’t back up with facts.
Rep. Mike Collins even put out a news release, noting he voted both on the successful censure resolution and one that failed narrowly last week because it also would have fined Schiff $16 million — an effort to recover the cost of the investigation into Trump he led.
“We often have hard votes in Congress, but today wasn’t one of them,” the Jackson Republican said. “I was proud to have voted to censure Adam Schiff, just like I did last week, and am glad this time we got it done.”
Schiff, who is running for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, has told colleagues he considers the censure a “badge of honor.”
***
DENIED. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Troup County’s application for federal disaster assistance after a powerful tornado and storms ripped through the West Georgia county in March.
Fox 5 Atlanta reports that although more than 25 homes were destroyed by the storms and at least 100 more were damaged, the total cost of recovery did not meet the agency’s threshold for federal assistance. Five Georgians were injured.
“Obviously we’re extremely disappointed that the declaration didn’t go through,” Troup County EMA Director Zac Steele told the station.
***
PRE-ORDER NOW. Given the enduring popularity of late Congressman John Lewis and the warm reception a forever stamp in his honor is already receiving, it might be a good idea to put in your order now.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced during an unveiling ceremony at the U.S. Capitol that the stamp will officially go on sale July 21 after a ceremony at Morehouse College.
Georgia U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson and Nikema Williams attended Wednesday’s event. Republicans also stopped by to snap a few photos with the stamp display, including Reps. Drew Ferguson and Mike Collins.
The AJC’s Brian O’Shea answers all your questions about how and when to get your hand on the John Lewis stamps and other collector’s items coming with the release.
***
DOG OF THE DAY. Here at the Jolt, we have loyal AJC readers, loyal Jolt readers, and now, loyal Dog of the Day readers. Patrick Guthrie, an assistant to state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, is in the final, elite group.
And it’s no wonder, since his own dogs, Barley and Bennie Guthrie, are this adorable.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Barley, left, is a three-year-old yellow Lab, while Bennie is an 11-year-old golden retriever. A reliable source tells us that Barley has been blind since birth, so he doesn’t do much retrieving but does manage to grab a swim whenever he can. Bennie, the elder statesman, focuses his time on napping, barking, and stealing Barley’s toys.
Congrats to these two and to Patrick, who has now gone from reading the Dog of the Day to having two Dogs of the Day. Well played.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
***
AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
