Secretary of State Brian Kemp slipped a new addition into his campaign trail speech this week: A reference to "shutting down" massage parlors that violated the law.
His rivals from both sides of the aisle have bombarded him with attacks claiming his office ignored sexual assault claims lodged by clients of those spas, and the latest scathing TV spots prompted his campaign to demand they be taken down.
Kemp points out that while the Board of Massage Therapy is under his office’s purview, only a five-member panel appointed by the governor has the power to suspend or revoke licenses or launch an investigation.
Which is why Kemp raised some eyebrows when he talked of cracking down on wayward spas. His campaign referred to this February 2010 AJC article about his announcement of seven arrests in a sweep of massage parlors that weren't licensed.
Asked about the mention, Kemp cited “sting operations” his office coordinated with local police after complaints from nearby residents about the parlors.
“We deal with the FBI and the GBI on issues all the way down to local police,” he said. “That was one case where we had complaints and we worked with local police in the community.”
The Democratic Party of Georgia laced into Kemp, with spokesman Seth Bringman accusing him of “pretending to be a warrior against sexual assault at massage parlors after he spent all of last week saying that there was nothing he could do to stop predatory massage therapists.”
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Just as Stacey Abrams and Sarah Riggs Amico are uniting for something of a one-two punch at the top of the Democratic ticket, expect Brian Kemp and Geoff Duncan to soon step up their dual campaigning.
The two are set to announce a school safety plan later this week. And Kemp has fully embraced Duncan's rural hospital tax credit program as a way to shore up the state's flagging net of healthcare systems.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of tax credits for rural hospitals and we are committed to raising that cap,” Kemp said.
The program's supporters were planning to push to increase the state tax credit from $60 million a year to $100 million. But a proposed federal rule that could limit or eliminate the federal tax break could discourage donations to the program.
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Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are already constant specters in the GOP attacks against Stacey Abrams. Maxine Waters could soon join them.
The California Democrat is set to stump with the candidate for governor at a Saturday "Women for Abrams" event in Atlanta.
Her harsh comments about Trump and "Auntie Maxine" persona have propelled her into the spotlight – and made her a favorite punching bag for Republicans.
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