Gov. Brian Kemp accused Sen. Colton Moore of engineering a “grifter scam.” House Speaker Jon Burns said Moore’s call to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could break all sorts of laws. And Moore’s Senate GOP colleagues assailed him as a shameless publicity hound.
Even so, the first-term Republican from Trenton has only amped up his rhetoric, urging Donald Trump supporters over the weekend to appeal directly to GOP senators and fight an establishment that “wants us to just sit down and be quiet.”
A quick reminder: Moore’s call for a special legislative session to oust Willis for indicting the former president and 18 others is politically impossible and probably illegal. It would take Democratic support to summon lawmakers back to the Capitol followed by an impeachment trial — something GOP leaders have continuously labeled a non-starter.
“We agreed with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones when he said a Special Session would be spinning wheels and wasting taxpayer money,” read a letter released over the weekend signed by 25 Republican senators. “Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous.”
The Senate GOP caucus is instead urging Willis’ critics to file complaints against her when a new oversight commission with power to sanction or remove prosecutors begins its work in October. Kemp, by the way, said he has seen no evidence that Willis warrants any punishment.
But Moore’s actions beg another question: Will the Senate move to sanction Moore?
He has repeatedly insulted his GOP colleagues and posted several of their personal phone numbers on social media. Several lawmakers have reported being targeted with threatening or harassing behavior as a result of the pro-Trump fury. And Moore has apparently ignored efforts by Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, and others to dial back his language.
The chamber’s rules allow senators to impose sanctions for “disorderly behavior or misconduct.” Eric Johnson, a Savannah architect who was a longtime GOP leader in the Senate, has a different idea.
“I’m old school,” he wrote on social media. “Sen. Colton Moore should get a crappy office, a worthless secretary, harmless committees and no bills or budget items. Some people have a right to representation — but that doesn’t mean they should be rewarded for stupid choices.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
MORE KEMP. Gov. Brian Kemp’s vocal pushback to state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, last week didn’t go unnoticed outside of Georgia.
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post wrote: “Brian Kemp ushers his party away from the Trumpian deep end — again.” Bloomberg columnist Francis Wilkinson penned an ode to Kemp under the headline: “Character Counts. Just Ask Brian Kemp,” while a USA Today headline read, “Gov. Brian Kemp rejects calls to discipline or remove Fulton County DA Fani Willis after Trump indictment.”
It’s a reminder that while Georgians have grown accustomed to Kemp shutting down the former president and his allies when he sees the need, it’s still a rare move among national Republicans. And if our inboxes are any indication, Republicans from outside of Georgia want more Kemp-like pushback to Trump in Washington, and maybe even Kemp himself.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN. The Senate is back to work in Washington this week after a five-week recess. The first order of business will be setting a strategy to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month.
Our pal Jamie Dupree tells us in his Regular Order newsletter that the House has passed just one of 12 required appropriations bills so far this year, while the full Senate has passed none. Congress must get all 12 across the finish line by the end of the month or else pass a continuing resolution to keep government operations going while members hammer out a deal.
And that’s where the problems really start. Georgia’s U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, said Friday he’s not going for a continuing resolution without major concessions from Democrats. “That means border security, that means weaponization of the Department of Justice, taking the wokeness out of the military,” he told Maria Bartiromo on CNBC.
With a slim GOP majority in the House and a Democratic Senate, we’re hearing early and intense anxiety out of D.C. — and the House isn’t back at work until next week.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
CALL HIM DELEGATE SMYRE. Calvin Smyre, the former dean of the Georgia House, is headed to New York City where he will serve as one of the United States’ official delegates to the United Nations General Assembly.
In this role, Smyre will rub elbows with leaders of nearly 200 nations and participate in discussions on global issues such as climate change, immigration and the impact of war and other international conflicts.
President Joe Biden selected Smyre, who joins two members of Congress and two other private citizens in the role.
But the U.N. gig isn’t the job Smyre really wants. His nomination as ambassador to the Bahamas is still pending Senate confirmation, with no movement and no resolution in sight.
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Credit: U.S. Army via AP
Credit: U.S. Army via AP
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor to Army Capt. Larry L. Taylor, a Vietnam veteran and Chattanooga native. Taylor, a Cobra helicopter pilot, saved four members of a reconnaissance team on June 18, 1968.
- The U.S. Senate returns today from its summer recess.
- The House returns Sept. 12.
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Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
IDALIA RECOVERY. U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock surveyed Hurricane Idalia damage in South Georgia over the Labor Day weekend. The Democratic lawmakers visited with Valdosta mayor Scott James Matheson and other local officials.
Ossoff and Warnock also worked alongside volunteers distributing supplies at the Red Cross resource site in the city.
Their visit Sunday came after both senators encouraged the White House to quickly approve disaster aid for residents and farmers affected by the storm. Gov. Brian Kemp said he has formally requested disaster declaration for parts of Georgia.
The AJC’s Drew Kann wrote about the storm’s impact on the state’s agriculture industry, particularly the pecan crop.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
LABOR PAINS: President Joe Biden championed new “made in America” laws involving semiconductor chips and electric vehicles. Yet, as the Washington Post editorial board recently pointed out, the challenge in leveraging the legislation into tens or even hundreds of thousands of American jobs is “too few workers” as U.S. unemployment hovers at 3.5%.
Georgia EV newcomers Hyundai Motor Group and Rivian will soon feel that labor pinch. Hyundai announced a 400-worker expansion last week, boosting its overall commitment at the EV assembly plant and battery factory near Savannah to 8,500 employees, not including suppliers. Rivan will hire 7,500 more for its EV facility east of Atlanta.
Both manufacturing campuses are currently under construction.
Georgia’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2%. The Savannah-area rate is lower, at 2.8%.
The Washington Post’s editors offered intriguing ideas for how to address the manufacturing labor shortage, including recruiting more women, expanding apprenticeship programs, permitting more immigration and helping with childcare and transportation for workers.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has become a target for labor unions as the Korean automaker begins to staff up for its Metaplant. The AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer has the details.
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Credit: Courtesy Mark Davis
Credit: Courtesy Mark Davis
DOG OF THE DAY. We have learned a lot about dogs and dog breeds through the Dog of the Day feature, so we were especially intrigued to meet Peaches Davis.
A reliable source tells us that Peaches is a splendid example of the Canid subspecies Muttica spottificus (more commonly known as “a mutt”). That subspecies is characterized by an intense affection for breakfast, making oneself at home on the furniture and especially loving their people. In this case, Peaches’ people are Sylvia and Mark Davis, and they all live in Atlanta.
Peaches, you have enlightened us and our readers. And for that, you’re our Dog of the Day!
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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