SAVANNAH — State Rep. Tyrone Brooks on Friday said federal criminal charges against him will not derail the work of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials and that this weekend will prove it.
Brooks, an Atlanta Democrat and GABEO’s president, spoke to reporters at the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum on the eve of the group’s annual summer convention.
“I know GABEO is going to be fine, no matter who the president is,” Brooks said.
Brooks faces 30 counts of mail, wire and tax fraud and is accused of using nearly $1 million in contributions to GABEO and another charity for personal expenses. Brooks has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer, former Gov. Roy Barnes, has said Brooks broke no laws but could’ve had better accounting practices.
Brooks said he is prepared to lead this weekend’s convention that will focus on networking and the looming U.S. Supreme Court decision on a challenge to a key section of the Voting Rights Act. But Brooks said he realizes his personal situation will also be a topic of conversation, even informally.
Brooks said he and others have heard rumors of an investigation for more than a year. While he was indicted in May, he and GABEO members have talked about it for much longer.
“I said listen, it’s not about Tyrone Brooks,” he said. “It’s about the commitment we carry.”
Part of that commitment, he said, is to ensure this weekend’s convention sticks to the agenda.
“I made it plain I did not want any special attention,” he said.
GABEO will honor that request, longtime member Roy Jackson said.
Brooks’ “attitude is absolutely remarkable,” said Jackson, who is also president of the Georgia Association of Black State Universities. “You won’t see the staging of any event this weekend on his behalf, and you won’t hear of raising of funds for him because that’s not what he’s about.”
Hundreds of delegates will gather here, Jackson said, “because we believe in his work. Whatever he has done over the years has been to the benefit of the state and not of him.”
Still, Jackson said, the indictment “is a concern.” Whenever a leader such as Brooks is targeted, “it impacts more than the individual. Certainly there will be conversations. It will be about supporting a person we have confidence in.”
Brooks said he was asked to be president of GABEO and has served since 1993. His term expires in 2014 and Brooks said he serves at the pleasure of the delegates.
“I’m not campaigning for president,” he said. “I wasn’t campaigning for it then, I’m not campaigning for it now. I will do whatever the organization thinks is appropriate.”
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