U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, is a member of the special Benghazi committee that was the subject of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's gaffe – the one in which McCarthy told Fox News that the committee is the reason for Democrat Hillary Clinton's sharp drop in the polls.
The slip-up has become important in D.C., given that McCarthy
– and that Clinton will appear before the Benghazi committee later this month.
On Tuesday, in a telephone interview with WABE (90.1FM)'s "Closer Look" duo, Rose Scott and Denis O'Hayer, Westmoreland sought to backfill:
"I'm not making excuses for him, because it was a dumb thing to say, but when you're on live TV and you're arguing with Sean Hannity, you might kind of get in front of yourself….
"I was watching it live, and I had this kind of sick feeling. I talked to Kevin about it the next morning, and he just apologized – said, 'That was something really dumb. I shouldn't have said it.' I think he – and here again, I'm not making excuses for him, it's been a very contentious situation in Washington, with the speaker's race….Live TV's a place you don't want to make an error, and I think you just have to be overly sensitive to that."
As for Clinton’s Oct. 22 appearance before the House committee, Westmoreland advised her to “pack a lunch.” It’s going to be a long day.
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The Herminator and The Donald, together at last. GAPundit's Todd Rehm has the news this morning that former outsider businessman presidential candidate Herman Cain will attend Saturday's rally in Norcross for current outsider businessman presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Cain has been complimentary of Trump on his morning WSB Radio show, but has not endorsed a candidate in the presidential race.
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Vice President Joe Biden does not yet have a presidential campaign, but he does have a powerful biographical ad, produced on his behalf by the "Draft Biden" PAC. It's worth a watch.
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MARTA's old CEO isn't having a good week. From State House News Service and Masslive.com:
Scott resigned as general manager of the MBTA last winter, announcing her plans to step down as the transit authority was coping with snow and cold-induced service failures.
The White House press office announced around 7 p.m. Monday that Scott's nomination to serve on the National Transportation Safety Board had been withdrawn.
Seems as if Massachusetts two Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, wouldn’t give Scott their endorsement.
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Gov. Nathan Deal defended his decision to appoint Lee May to lead DeKalb County. The governor tapped May, who is now facing questions about corruption allegations, in 2013 after the county's CEO was indicted on - you guessed it - corruption charges. Deal told reporters of May:
"I think at the time he was the best logical choice that we had, and I don't want anybody to jump to conclusions that he's actually done anything wrong. I think that's why it's important to review this report to see if there are factual circumstances that back up some rather inflammatory statements."
The GBI still hasn't begun that review, which Deal called for last week. But we're told the agency could get the thousands of pages of transcripts from former Attorney General Mike Bowers, who conducted the investigation, by the end of the week.
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Zpolitics tells us that only a day after state Rep. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, announced his resignation out of health concerns, we have a candidate to replace him – Larry Walker III, son of the former House majority leader. Walker recently lost a special election to fill the seat vacated by state Rep. Larry O'Neal of Bonaire. Said Walker, via zpolitics:
"I have been encouraged to run for this seat by people all over the district because they believe I am the right leader to effectively represent this district. Due to this encouragement and the support of my family, I am proud to announce my candidacy for State Senate. Having recently gone through a tough campaign, I know firsthand the time and hard work a campaign requires, but I remain committed to public service and to putting my unique experience to work to represent the people of Middle Georgia."
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The city of Macon is taking another step toward building a new baseball field - even though there's no team waiting in the wings to fill it. From the Telegraph:
The commission vote essentially hires a Washington, D.C.-based firm to complete a market analysis and economic feasibility study. The close decision came after an attempt to send the resolution back to committee did not receive enough votes.
The middle Georgia city lost its Atlanta Braves minor league team to Rome in 2002 when the northwest Georgia town agreed to build a $15 million stadium for the franchise. Since then, Macon has searched for a new farm team while hosting a few short-lived independent squads.
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The shifting focus of the Georgia chapter of the Common Cause watchdog group has led to another departure.
Lobbyist Jim Kulstad notified the group this week that he'll be leaving for a job in Hawaii during a key stretch of next year's legislative session. But he also cited the summer shakeup that led to the ouster of the group's Georgia director as a factor in his decision. Wrote Kulstad:
"Recent policy changes brought about by our national office, as well as the dismissals and departures of several board members and our executive director, would make it difficult for me to have a certain continuity with legislative leadership on both sides of the political aisle."
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Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed got some face time with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, as he was one of 20 business and political types meeting with Obama to talk up the benefits of the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which was finalized this week in Reed's hometown.
Said Reed in a news release of the meeting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is an important step forward in ensuring that American workers can compete and win in the global economy. By eliminating thousands of tariffs that various countries put on Made-in-America products, small businesses in Atlanta and Georgia now have the opportunity to export to some of the fastest-growing markets in the world. I support President Obama in his efforts to put American workers first, and I urge Congress to approve this historic trade agreement that will not only level the playing field for American workers and businesses, but support higher-paying American jobs."
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The twisted political tale of Alabama's Artur Davis has taken another turn: He's a Democrat again. From the Washington Post:
"I made a personal decision once I relocated to Alabama to engage local priorities, and to reconnect with my roots in politics: helping poor communities, reviving public education, putting jobs in sides of town that don't have good jobs today," Davis, who in August lost a bid for mayor of his native Montgomery, Ala., said via e-mail.
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