Politics in DeKalb County may be about to head down a rabbit hole. Consider this from the AJC's Johnny Edwards and Mark Niesse:
One of our DeKalb County contacts tells us that the above situation could soon blossom into a large, full-blown scandal. If that is indeed the case, Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter may have grounds for worry.
DeKalb County is Georgia’s richest cache of Democratic votes. And a political structure in disarray isn’t an effective turnout machine.
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Georgia's job guru had some blunt words this morning in Tel Aviv on the CNBC ranking that named Georgia as the top state to do business.
"And we didn't buy this one, either," said Chris Carr, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development.
It was a (thinly veiled) reference to our story that noted the state's longstanding business relationship with Site Selection Magazine, which also ranked Georgia in the top spot.
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As you can see in the video above, Democrat Jason Carter has sent Attorney General Sam Olens asking him to appoint a special investigator to delve into the ongoing ethics case.
Read the entire letter here. A taste:
"Given the publicly available information, the allegations against Gov. Deal and his 2010 campaign were serious and far-reaching. They deserve a full investigation, which they have not yet received. A Special Assistant Attorney General will have the independence, authority and credibility needed to fully investigate these matters without appearance of bias or threat of political interference."
Both Olens and Deal were still in Israel on Tuesday. Olens declined to comment, but Deal's campaign said the documents have long been available to the public. And the governor said Carter's campaign was simply trying to score political points.
“It’s one of the lowest forms of politics,” said Deal.
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We hinted at this yesterday, but Attorney General Sam Olens made some jaws drop at a seminar on Georgia for Israeli executives in Tel Aviv.
More than a few of the executives knew little about Georgia, and some even wondered aloud if there were any Jewish people in the state. Olens, who is Jewish, put those doubts to rest.
He opened the seminar with a few Hebrew words: "L'Shevet B'vakasha" - which means "please sit down."
It's safe to say he got the group's attention.
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The pro-Jack Kingston Southern Conservatives Fund continues to dump television ads onto Georgia voters. Another $50,000 buy brings the group's total spending to $465,000 this year.
It's not posted yet, but we're hearing the pro-Perdue counterpart PAC Citizens for a Working America is expanding its Atlanta TV buy and going into Kingston territory of Savannah for the first time. Let us know if you see any attack ads down there.
In addition, the Super PAC "Prescription for America's Future" -- seeded with money from the head of the Georgia Pharmacy Association to boost one of their own, Buddy Carter -- is spending more than $12,000 on mailings and billboards in the coastal First Congressional District GOP runoff.
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National Journal reports that Lawrenceville Rep. Rob Woodall will take over as head of the conservative Republican Study Committee in the House after chairman Steve Scalise was elevated to whip, the No. 3 post in leadership. Part of the deal: Woodall won't run for a two-year term in November:
Woodall's appointment is not yet a done deal. Scalise is expected to announce his successor at Wednesday's weekly RSC meeting in the House basement, but the maneuver requires unanimous consent from RSC membership to be approved.
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As might have been predicted, the campaign of Bob Barr was unsatisfied by the release of his U.S. Air Force discharge papers by GOP congressional runoff rival Barry Loudermilk. From the press release:
here is no skill identifier in the DD214 that Barry Loudermilk served in intelligence, contrary to language in the memo created by his political campaign. This is in stark contrast to the statement at the Kennesaw State University debate where Barry Loudermilk stated: "I can't answer that question right now, because unlike when I was in the military, I was in intelligence."
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Mike Buck, one of two candidates in the Republican runoff for state school superintendent, has sent us another list of endorsements. One highlight: Michael Buchanan, a retired teacher and author of "The Fat Boy Chronicles."
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The Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting have scheduled a marathon of televised runoff debates for Sunday, July 13. The following races will be featured: the GOP contest in the 11th, 10th, and 1st Congressional Districts; the Democratic runoff in the 1st Congressional District, the Democratic and Republican races for state school superintendent, and the Republican race for U.S. Senate. More details can be found here.
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Above is your awkward video of the day (non-cannibalistic-soccer-player edition): Congressional heavy hitters -- John Boehner, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Carl Levin, John Lewis and Marcia Fudge -- hold hands and sway and try to sing along with "We Shall Overcome."
The Capitol Rotunda ceremony was to hand out a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and honor the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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