New book shows how Donald Trump’s allies helped mend feud with Brian Kemp

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Reality TV star to run for Georgia state House.
Most police departments aren’t ready for digital IDs yet.
Blake Tillery raises $750,000 for lieutenant governor’s race.

Peacemakers

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

Steve Witkoff is best known now as President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, tasked with helping to broker a truce in the volatile region.

But before the billionaire real estate investor became Trump’s go-to global peacemaker, he was assigned to tamp down another messy years-long conflict.

Witkoff played a role in de-escalating a feud between Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp that bubbled up at an August campaign stop in Atlanta last year, according to a new book out today by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf.

Trump’s extended tirade showed he was still sore at the two-term governor over his refusal to overturn the 2020 election results. The feud threatened to upend Trump’s campaign in Georgia, which was vital to his path to return to the White House.

We got hold of an excerpt of “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” which includes more details about how Witkoff and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., worked to heal the rift:

The task of brokering a truce with Kemp fell again to Trump's personal peacemaker. Steve Witkoff flew to the governor's mansion in Atlanta and met with the couple. He said he understood why Kemp was frustrated with Trump. But Trump needed Kemp to win Georgia. Could the two make amends? They didn't have to be best friends.

Lindsey Graham pulled Kemp aside at a Republican fundraiser and acknowledged that Trump had been unfair to him. It was uncalled for, Graham said. But a détente would benefit both of them. “It's in your interest to have a good relationship with him, and it's definitely in his interest to have a good relationship with you," Graham said. “He just doesn't know it yet."

Kemp said he agreed — he didn't want to fight. Graham offered to get Kemp on Sean Hannity's show and make sure Trump was watching. Kemp would just have to say on air that he supported Trump, and Trump would respond with a conciliatory Truth Social post.

That’s pretty much how it played out. And, against all odds, the truce has so far held.

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Good morning! We’re a week away from the Democratic primary runoff election for a seat on the Public Service Commission. Less than 5,000 people voted on the first day of early voting on Monday.

Here are four things to know for today:

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has entered the race for governor with a campaign modeled after President Donald Trump’s agenda, Greg Bluestein reports.
President Donald Trump announced 25% import taxes will take effect next month on products originating in South Korea and Japan, two key trade partners for Georgia and the nation, the AJC’s J. Scott Trubey and Kelly Yamanouchi report.
The Georgia division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has asked the state Supreme Court to allow it to sue Gwinnett County over its removal of a Confederate monument from the square in downtown Lawrenceville, the AJC’s Alia Pharr reports.
Attorney General Chris Carr added another $1.25 million to his campaign for governor after raising $2.2 million during his first few weeks of campaigning last year, Greg Bluestein reports.

Married to politics?

Credit: Greg Endries/Bravo

Georgia politics can sometimes feel like a reality show. So it should not be a surprise that a reality TV star now wants to run for office.

Dr. Heavenly Kimes from the Bravo TV series “Married to Medicine” is running as a Democrat for state House District 93, the DeKalb County seat currently held by state Rep. Doreen Carter, D-Lithonia.

Kimes, a cosmetic dentist and business owner, told People magazine, “I’m ready to serve, I’m ready to lead.”

A three-hour kickoff rally is planned for later today. Her campaign manager will be “Married to Medicine” co-star Quad Webb.

The show, which follows the personal and professional lives of women in Atlanta’s medical community, is currently filming its 12th season.

Digital drivers

A new Georgia law aims to let motorists ditch hard copies of driver’s licenses for digital versions on their phones. But drivers shouldn’t leave their physical licenses at home just yet.

The law says police and sheriff’s departments must accept digital IDs only if their officers have “the proper equipment” to verify them. Most departments don’t have this equipment yet, and they won’t be required to have it until 2027.

That includes the Georgia State Patrol, which primarily enforces traffic laws on the state’s busiest roads. The patrol is working with the Florida-based company SmartCOP on an app to let officers scan and verify licenses. But there’s no timetable to complete it, said Ed Starling, a spokesperson for the Georgia State Patrol.

As for the hundreds of other police and sheriff’s departments, most of them “don’t have the ability to receive it yet,” said Butch Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

Ayers noted Georgia police departments vary wildly in size and resources. He said an app wouldn’t be feasible for some departments because they don’t issue phones to their officers and it would be improper to have them use their personal phones to verify licenses.

“It’s not going to be that easy,” he said, adding he doesn’t know how much it could cost departments to comply.

Getting better

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

So many people lost their jobs during the pandemic that the state agency in charge of doling out unemployment benefits couldn’t keep up, resulting in significant delays for desperately needed payments.

Now, the Georgia Department of Labor is turning to robots to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

The agency has adopted a “virtual agent” to answer routine questions from claimants. And it’s replacing its computer system with one that will automatically process up to 95% of claims.

Both upgrades received high marks from state auditors in a follow-up report to their 2022 review that found significant delays in both benefit payments and customer service assistance.

But it wasn’t all good news. The department, run by Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes, noted it still doesn’t have enough funding to hire a permanent, full-time customer service team. Plus, the federal government rescinded a grant in May the state was using to update its email system.

Georgia wasn’t the only state to lose that money. The Trump administration pulled the plug on grants meant to help states modernize their unemployment systems.

The department said it agreed with the auditors’ assessment, adding their “top priority is to transform Georgia’s unemployment insurance program” to make it “simpler, faster and more efficient.”

Fundraising tidbits

Credit: AJC file photo

Republican state Sen. Blake Tillery’s campaign for lieutenant governor said it raised more than $750,000 thanks to roughly 400 donors over a two-month span.

Tillery’s campaign said he has another $800,000 in his Senate account that he can transfer. He plans to formally announce his campaign to succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones within weeks, joining Republican Sens. Steve Gooch and John F. Kennedy.

Don’t believe your eyes

“Pics or it didn’t happen” was once the rallying cry for online skeptics. But the rise of artificial intelligence has made it hard to trust our eyes anymore — and that’s a big problem for courts of law.

The threat prompted a recent review by a committee of judges, lawyers, clerks and administrators of the state’s court rules and procedures. They concluded Georgia’s existing policies are “generally sufficient” for the use of AI. But they warned the constantly changing field poses “significant challenges to traditional evidentiary standards.”

AI is already causing problems. Last week, the Court of Appeals criticized an Atlanta lawyer’s apparent use of generative AI to create case filings rife with bogus citations in her client’s divorce. The court also imposed a $2,500 penalty against the lawyer for a meritless request for attorney fees.

Our AJC colleague Rosie Manins reported it might be the first time Georgia’s judicial system has confronted problems from AI generated content. But it likely won’t be the last.

The committee recommended Georgia develop comprehensive training programs to help the courts accurately evaluate AI-generated evidence, including “creating standardized procedures for evidence authentication.” They also suggested bringing in third parties to review evidence whose authenticity has been challenged.

The report said it was too early to tell if the state should revamp its code of judicial conduct standards. But it urged “further study and monitoring.”

Listen up

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today on “Politically Georgia,” the hosts discuss how President Donald Trump’s newly signed tax and spending law will impact Georgia.

Then, state Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, joins the show to talk about whether the law might prompt state lawmakers to return to the Capitol for a special session.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Today in Washington

President Donald Trump meets with his Cabinet.
House Speaker Mike Johnson meets at the Capitol with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The House has no votes scheduled this week.
The Senate will vote on a Trump nominee.

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthday:

State Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gillsville.

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.