When Rudy Giuliani spread conspiracy theories about the election before a state legislative hearing in December 2020, it drew a ringing condemnation from Gov. Brian Kemp, who called the former New York mayor’s attacks a “joke.”
Now as other Republicans are tightlipped about Giuliani’s acknowledgement that he made false statements at the state Capitol meetings, Kemp is not shrinking away. He said he was deeply concerned by Giuliani’s lies in an interview Thursday with WSB Radio’s Sandra Parrish.
“There’s a lot of people, including me, that were under a lot of pressure then from legislators and other people because of supposedly false statements that he had made,” Kemp said of Giuliani.
“Which is really troubling when you’re trying to have secure, accessible, fair elections in the state,” the governor said, adding: “For somebody to manipulate that process to me is very troubling.”
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
Facing a defamation lawsuit, Giuliani filed a motion saying he was no longer contesting accusations that he made false statements about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — two Fulton County workers he wrongly accused of tampering with votes.
The GOP lawmakers who welcomed him to a trio of 2020 hearings that gave him a platform to spread sham election fraud fantasies, meanwhile, have declined to comment.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
DOMINION SHOWDOWN. The closed-door meeting between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was described as at times testy, at times productive, by several people with knowledge of the private discussions.
Either way, a clash would come as little surprise given the fraught politics of the sit-down. Both Jones and Raffensperger are likely contenders for higher office in 2026, and have traded shots over the election process.
Jones has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump and his allies, and served as a “fake” elector in 2020 while still a state senator.
He has long criticized Raffensperger’s policies, most recently demanding “zero security risks” as he presses the secretary of state to upgrade Dominion voting machines.
Raffensperger, meanwhile, has balked at that idea, arguing that the state’s voting equipment is already secure and that new software needs thorough testing before a statewide rollout.
We haven’t yet received a comment on the meeting from Jones’ camp. But Raffensperger’s top aide Jordan Fuchs issued a reminder that Jones was among the legislators who invited Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s disgraced lawyer, to state Capitol hearings in 2020.
“These are the people who gave Rudy Giuliani multiple hearings to make claims so bizarrely inaccurate that he won’t even defend them in court,” said Fuchs.
“They refuse to comment on that as they attack the guy who told you the truth and was proven right by time and endless investigations.”
UPDATE: Jones said in a statement on Friday that he “hoped to hear more proactive steps were being taken by his office to instill voter confidence” but was appreciative of Raffensperger for agreeing to a meeting.
“Like many Georgians, I’m frustrated that we’re still having issues with the software used to run Georgia’s elections. The Secretary of State’s Office has been aware of these issues since last fall and failed to bring it to the legislature’s attention,” said Jones.
“Georgia is going to elect a president - along with many other key officials - in 2024 and we must get it right. The Secretary of State’s office has plenty of time to do its job, and the Senate will make sure they do.”
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LISTEN UP. In the latest episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell discuss Rudy Giuliani’s growing legal problems and the intraparty attacks on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”
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SUMMER RECESS. Members of the U.S. House and Senate finished work on Thursday and will be in recess for the next five weeks.
The House’s final vote was on one of 12 appropriations bills, this one funding military construction and Veterans Affairs. It passed 219-211 with all Democrats and two Republicans opposed. Georgia’s delegation split strictly along party lines.
Democrats voted against the bill because of changes backed by conservative Republicans, like spending reductions and the insertion of language that would limit access to abortion for service members.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pulled from the agenda a vote on a second spending bill, this one funding agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, after it became clear there wasn’t enough support to pass it.
The Senate concluded its work late Thursday after taking a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, a sweeping military policy package. The Senate version is vastly different from the bill passed in the House, where conservatives insisted upon language that restricted abortion and access to transgender care.
The Senate vote was 86-11 with Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both in the majority. The dissenters included both conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats.
Having the entire month of August off is common for Congress, but members will have a lot on their plate when they return after Labor Day.
Credit: Tom Brenner/The New York Times
Credit: Tom Brenner/The New York Times
A conference committee consisting of members of both chambers will negotiate a compromise on the NDAA, and it remains to be seen how far-right House members will work with more moderate Republican senators and with Democrats. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, said McCarthy has already guaranteed her a spot in the conference committee.
The White House has said that President Joe Biden would veto the bill if it looks like the version passed in the House.
Meanwhile, Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to pass all 12 appropriations bills through both chambers if it wants to avoid a government shutdown. That gives lawmakers just four weeks to pass these bills and iron out any differences between the two chambers.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden travels to a manufacturing plant in Maine where he will deliver a speech on his economic agenda.
- The House and Senate are out until after Labor Day.
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BEAT THE HEAT. President Joe Biden asked the U.S. Department of Labor to step up safety inspections of workplaces with the highest risk of heat-related illness and injury, Meris Lutz reports.
The alert is intended to send a message to employers in industries like construction and agriculture that they are responsible for the well-being of workers as many portions of the country experience record-breaking heat.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, and Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, from Georgia both signed onto a letter to the Department of Labor this week urging the new working condition standard as a “matter of life and death.”
“This year has already brought record high temperatures that have led to preventable deaths in the workplace,” it said. “Urgent action is needed to prevent more deaths.”
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Credit: City of Clarkston
Credit: City of Clarkston
CLARKSTON RESIGNATION. The drama in the city of Clarkston in DeKalb County went up a notch Thursday night with the abrupt resignation of Councilwoman Susan Hood.
She was one of three council members who has advocated for the removal of City Manager Shawanna Qawiy, Channel 2 Action News reports. Qawiy has been embroiled in controversy involving the city’s police chief and allegations she has created a toxic work environment.
Hood called the meeting Thursday to hear concerns from the community about how the city has been operating while all this plays out in the public. And at one point, she decided it was her time to go.
“The only thing that should matter, but no one cares about, is competence and accountability,” Hood said, according to Channel 2. “I leave it to y’all. I have better things to do with my time. Oh, I’m out. This is done.”
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
SMALL BUSINESS. The head of the Small Business Administration is in Atlanta today to visit with historically black college officials and tour green energy startups.
Isabella Casillas Guzman plans a fireside chat with the Iota Phi Theta fraternity before trips to a pair of small businesses focused on alternative energy production.
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DOG OF THE DAY. The Dog of the Day is taking vacation this week but will be back on July 31. 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.
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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.
