A few minutes after then-President Donald Trump began a call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to demand that he “find” enough votes to overturn his 2020 Georgia defeat, top aides to Trump and Raffensperger were firing off texts to each other.
“Need to end this call,” Raffensperger aide Jordan Fuchs texted to Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff. “I don’t think this will be productive much longer.”
After Meadows agreed, Fuchs added: “Let’s save the relationship.”
The text exchange was part of a remarkable cache of 2,319 messages that Meadows turned over to the U.S. House committee investigating the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
They were later obtained by Talking Points Memo and now offer previously undisclosed details about how Trump tried to reverse his loss by undermining confidence in Georgia’s election — and the Georgians who did or did not help him along the way.
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
The texts also reveal that then-U.S. Sen. David Perdue connected legislative leaders with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and later raised concerns with Meadows that the president could cancel a rally the night before his Jan. 5, 2021 runoff against Jon Ossoff.
“That would be a disaster here. Can you call me? Thanks,” Perdue wrote.
U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who would later wage a failed challenge to Raffensperger, wrote Meadows that he was “leading the GA electoral college objection on Jan 6″ and noted that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was directly coordinating with Trump.
State Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, sent Meadows a series of texts linked to a bizarre conspiracy theory that claimed Italian defense contractors manipulated the vote with satellites.
“Mark, If this is true it would be a game changer for Georgia,” Harbin wrote, adding, “We need to act quickly. God’s wisdom my friend.”
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LISTEN UP. The midweek edition of the Politically Georgia podcast is at the top of your feed right now. And we’re talking about what’s next for the Democrats in Georgia after 2022 deliver a bunch of statewide losses and one big win.
Listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
And remember to call the podcast hotline at (770)810-5297 with your burning questions about the past, present, or future of Georgia politics. We’ll play your question back and answer it on the show.
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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
SHE’S BACK. Stacey Abrams was back on air Tuesday in her first network appearance since losing her rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp in November.
Abrams joined Good Morning America spinoff GMA3 to promote her newest children’s book, “Stacey’s Remarkable Books.”
But the GMA hosts didn’t talk about books without first asking her about her future in politics.
“I may run again but I’ve always said it’s not about the title, it’s about the work,” Abrams said. “That’s why I was so proud to help Raphael get elected. It’s why I was so excited to work with candidates up and down the ballot. It’s why I’ve been doing this for more than a decade.”
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BUDGET PROGRESS. Congressional leaders negotiating a new federal budget announced Tuesday night that they have agreed to a framework on a long-term deal to fund the federal government.
That could avoid a spending fight in the early days of the next Congress, when Republicans will hold a slim majority in the U.S. House and Democrats will control the U.S. Senate.
Most House Republicans are expected to oppose the negotiated spending package, but Democrats in both chambers are expected to join with at least some Republicans to pass it.
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The spending plan is not yet finalized and details have not been shared, but the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, a Democrat, said they feel confident a final agreement can be reached in the next week or so.
That means a stopgap bill must pass first to fund the government for a few more days, since many government agencies don’t have the authorization to continue operating past Friday. Congress is expected to work on the temporary funding legislation today to keep current funding levels in place through Dec. 23, avoiding a government shutdown.
Separately, the Senate is also working on amendments to the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act. The sweeping package outlines spending levels and policy for the military each year. This legislation is considered a must-pass before the end of the year, but the Senate has not yet said when it will take a vote.
If the Senate approves amendments to the defense proposal, as expected, it would need to go back to the House for another vote.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House and Senate will begin work on legislation providing stopgap federal funding for another week, delaying a possible government shutdown until Dec. 23.
- U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath will deliver a floor speech marking 10 years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a news conference where he is expected to announce another rate hike in hopes of controlling inflation.
- President Joe Biden is meeting with heads of state or designees from 49 African nations and the African Union as he hosts the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit.
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Credit: Erika P. Rodriguez/The New York Times
Credit: Erika P. Rodriguez/The New York Times
MONEY TROUBLE. Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced “Crypto King,” who ran the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas this week. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors detailed the many criminal charges against him, including wire fraud and conspiracy.
But the charge that caught our eyes was the allegation that he also conspired to violate campaign finance by illegally making campaign contributions under a false identity.
Publicly, Bankman-Fried was one of the largest outside donors supporting Democrats this cycle, including U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath. He pumped more than $1.9 million into the 7th Congressional District primary to help McBath defeat U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux.
However, the indictment alleges he spent millions more in secret, likely on Republican campaigns around the country. In a past interview, Bankman-Fried said he gave equally to both parties and was the “second or third biggest” Republican donor in the country. He said he shielded his identity because, “[R]eporters freak … out if you donate to a Republican because they’re all super liberal. And I didn’t want to have that fight.”
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STAMP OF APPROVAL. A stamp honoring Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2020, will be available for purchase next year, the U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday.
The preliminary design for the Lewis stamp uses a photograph of him from the Aug. 26, 2013 issue of Time magazine. The margin paper, also known as selvage, will showcase a second photograph of Lewis taken in 1963 in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Other stamps scheduled for 2023 releases will honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author Toni Morrison, American institutions like the Florida Everglades, and pastimes like skateboarding.
The news release from the Postal Service said the stamp is designed to honor how Lewis lived and the legacy he left behind as a civil rights leader and notable political figure.
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STAFFING UP. Lt. Gov.-elect Burt Jones will arrive at his new office next year with his top staff already in place.
Along with chief of staff Loree Anne Paradise, whose hire was previously announced, Jones’ top team will also include Brad Vaughan as Legislative Director and Counsel; Ines Owens as Policy and Communications Director; Denese Sampson, who will serve as Director of Constituent Services; Tiffany Hull, Director of Operations and Scheduling; and Ben Garcia, who will serve as Jones’ new Legislative Liaison.
Look for the new Jones team around the Capitol.
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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.
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