Georgia’s slate of Donald Trump-backed candidates were quick to criticize President Joe Biden’s foreign policy strategy after Russia attacked Ukraine. They were mum, however, on the former president’s glowing praise of Vladimir Putin amid the invasion.
Each of the Georgia candidates endorsed by Trump declined to critique the Republican after he repeatedly complimented the Russian president’s aggression as a stroke of “genius” and called him “very savvy” for falsely describing troops massed on Ukraine’s border as peacekeepers.
Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue said Russia wouldn’t have invaded its neighbor if Trump was still president and Senate candidate Herschel Walker faulted Biden’s “disastrous foreign policy” – and Americans themselves.
“We need to take a hard look in the mirror and see what mistakes were made and correct them immediately,” said Walker.
The two contenders, along with U.S. Rep. Jody Hice and state Sen. Burt Jones, steered clear of Trump’s Putin-friendly remarks. In fact, Hice, a candidate for Secretary of State, took the opposite tack.
“The people of #Ukraine are innocent victims of an unprovoked Russian invasion,” Hice wrote on Twitter. “Make no mistake. Vladimir Putin is an evil man desperately resurrecting an Evil Empire. He will not stop with Ukraine.”
The sole GOP candidate who directly addressed Trump’s admiration for Putin is steeped in foreign policy experience: Former Navy SEAL Latham Saddler, who was an intelligence officer in the Trump White House.
“I’m the only candidate in this race who served on Trump’s National Security Council,” said Saddler, who wasn’t endorsed by Trump. “I can promise you during my time there our enemies feared us and Putin knew better than to invade any sovereign countries and therefore didn’t.”
Today’s Politically Georgia podcast looks at the reactions from Georgia leaders and candidates, as well as comments from Gov. Brian Kemp about possible effects of the European crisis here at home.
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A reminder of what’s at stake: About 3,800 soldiers based at Fort Stewart are deploying to Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the AJC’s Jeremy Redmon reports.
The troops are mostly assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team. The “Raider Brigade” will deploy to Germany initially but could be repositioned to other NATO countries as circumstances change.
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Friday, Feb. 25:
- The House and Senate stand adjourned until Monday, Feb. 27.
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At the Capitol Thursday:
- The state Senate passed new lines for Cobb County local districts over the objections of Cobb Democrats. The bill now goes to Gov. Kemp for his signature.
- The Senate passed a bill to redraw the district lines for members of the Public Service Commission, again over the objections of Democrats. State Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat from Atlanta, also said the current process of requiring candidates to run statewide for a local seat makes it harder for Black candidates to win seats.
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We’re keeping an eye on the Senate floor action Monday, when three separate gun-related bills will be up for debate.
S 479 would increase penalties for gun-related offenses and has the support of law enforcement. The most high-profile gun bill this session, the “Georgia Constitutional Carry Act,” would eliminate permit requirements to carry a concealed weapon in the state.
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POSTED: Thursday was an emotional day for the state’s LGBT lawmakers as GOP senators approved a bill that would prevent transgender student athletes from playing team sports according to their gender identity.
Our colleague Maya T. Prabhu tells us that State Sen. Sally Harrell, an Atlanta Democrat who has a transgender child, shared through tears that she had not planned on speaking during Thursday’s debate.
“I planned on just sitting there and listening. But I couldn’t. I needed to use my voice. And I needed to speak up because I’m a Senator, but I’m also a mother of a trans child,” Harrell said. “So I rose to put a face on this issue, so my colleagues would understand that the kids that they’re talking about are real kids just like mine.”
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Marty Harbin, said, “This bill is about fairness.”
But state Sen. Michelle Au, a Democrat from Gwinnett, called it, “Quite simply monstrous.” She also detailed studies that have shown that transgender children are more at risk of depression and suicidal thoughts than their classmates.
And Au noted that the bill would prevent girls from “playing up,” on boys’ teams, meaning a high-performing girl could not play soccer for a boys’ team or be kicker for a boys’ football team.
State Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat and the chamber’s first openly LGBT senator, is an Episcopal priest. At a press conference after the vote, she spoke directly to transgender children, whom she described as the “children who need it most.”
“To all of the girls – trans and cis, nonbinary, non-gender conforming – I want you to know that despite what you might have heard today, you are loved and you are created by a God who transcends all concepts of gender,” said Jackson, who was so overcome by emotion that she had to step away from the press conference.
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The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, state Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis filed legislation that would prohibit companies owned by the Russian government from bidding on state contracts.
Senate Bill 562 mirrors the language in a bill that the Senate approved last week targeting Chinese government-owned businesses.
The bill addressing China, Senate Bill 346, passed on a nearly party-line vote with all Democrats except Atlanta state Sen. Jen Jordan opposing the measure.
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The attorney for the Town of Buckhead in Morgan County has written to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to protest the Buckhead City exploratory commission’s application to trademark “Buckhead City” for municipal services.
Amanda Hyland, an attorney with Taylor English, wrote that allowing Buckhead City’s trademark “would suggest a false connection with, and indeed swallow the identity of a town that has been using the same name in the same state for more than 200 years.”
She also noted the dubious legality of Buckhead City’s effort to trademark an insignia with buck’s antlers, since case law bars municipalities from trademarking their own flags or insignia, with no exceptions.
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U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s bill to cap the price of insulin at $35 per month for patients now has companion stand-alone legislation in the House.
Warnock introduced the standalone bill after the House-passed Build Back Better social spending and climate change package stalled. That proposal included the language intended to control the cost of insulin for people with diabetes.
The House bill is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath alongside Reps. Dan Kildee of Michigan and Angie Craig of Minnesota, all Democrats.
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It’s time for your weekend reading list, including:
* Tuesday’s Political Insider column, “OPINION: The ‘radical liberal Raphael Warnock’ we were warned about has not materialized;”
* Jamie DuPree’s Washington column Thursday, “Opinion: Putin goes back to the U.S.S.R.;”
* And a look ahead at Sunday’s Political Insider column, “OPINION: The good, the bad, and the un-American in the response to the Ukraine crisis.”
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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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