House GOP mulls nixing Raffensperger’s powers to investigate First Liberty
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Test your knowledge with our weekly news quiz.
- State Election Board wants to get rid of absentee ballot drop boxes.
- Chris Carr, Brad Raffensperger skip legislative hearings.
Slow walk
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has used his office to aggressively investigate the politically-connected First Liberty Building and Loan, the Newnan-based lender accused by federal regulators of running a nine-figure Ponzi scheme.
But that power could soon be at risk.
A group of senior state House Republicans is backing legislation that would stop Raffensperger’s office from overseeing securities and commodities and transfer that duty to the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, an agency that reports to the governor.
The push comes as Raffensperger, a Republican, intensifies a civil inquiry into First Liberty, which collapsed in June and has deep ties to GOP leaders.
Pressed on the measure, which was introduced last week, the bill’s sponsors said it’s about efficiency and continuity — and not derailing the investigation.
“It makes sense for the Department of Banking & Finance to regulate securities and conduct investigations,” said House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry. “This department already provides consumer protection and regulates other financial and lending entities.”
Raffensperger, who is running for governor, has warned the shift could slow the probe just as it’s ramping up. Investigators have recently begun summoning witnesses, including First Liberty founder Brant Frost IV and his son.
“My concern is all this just perhaps could slow things down,” he told WSB-TV. “We just want to make sure things continue on.”
Friday news quiz
Good morning! We hope everyone stays safe this weekend ahead of the potential ice storm. Stay warm by acing our weekly news quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of this newsletter.
Sapelo Island’s Gullah Geechee community successfully repealed a McIntosh County ordinance on Tuesday. What did the ordinance do?
- A) Allowed brighter lighting in parking lots, threatening loggerhead sea turtle nests.
- B) Eliminated a fee that pays for a historic preservation program.
- C) Permitted large vacation homes to be built on the island.
- D) Ended a habitat abatement program for some endangered species.
Gov. Brian Kemp this week announced Georgia will participate in a new federal program. What will the program do?
- A) Allow taxpayers to make deductible donations to a scholarship fund that helps students pay for private school tuition.
- B) Gives hunters $200 bounties for every wild hog they kill.
- C) Offers low interest mortgage loans for teachers and first responders.
- D) Provides an annual $10,000 salary supplement for doctors who agree to work in rural areas.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones plan to eliminate Georgia’s income tax faces some opposition. Who criticized the plan this week?
- A) Gov. Brian Kemp
- B) The Heritage Foundation
- C) Georgia’s House Republican Caucus
- D) The Wall Street Journal editorial board
State Rep. Eric Bell introduced legislation this week that would designate an official chicken wing flavor for Georgia. What is it?
- A) Cajun
- B) Hot honey
- C) Lemon pepper
- D) Barbecue
Ballot drop boxes
Georgia’s Republican-controlled state Legislature limited the number of absentee ballot drop boxes after Democrat Joe Biden won a majority of those votes in the 2020 election. Now, the State Election Board wants to get rid of them altogether.
The board voted 3-1 this week to urge the state Legislature to ban the boxes, which were first put in place during the pandemic to give voters another option to return their ballots.
Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston, a Republican, said the boxes pose “additional unnecessary administrative burdens on election officials.” She said mailing ballots is more reliable.
Board Chair John Fervier couldn’t believe that, especially after the U.S. Postal Service’s well-documented troubles in Georgia and elsewhere.
“I don’t trust the post office to deliver a Christmas card or anything else these days,” he said. “I think that people being able to walk in and put it in a box at a monitored location, to me, doesn’t bother me at all from a security standpoint.”
Fervier abstained from the vote.
Senate Bill 202, passed in 2021, limits the number of drop boxes to one per 100,000 registered voters in a county. It also only allowed the boxes inside early voting locations with limited hours. Previously, the boxes had been outside 24 hours a day.
No-shows?
Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger skipped a pair of legislative hearings on Thursday, which drew a sharp swipe from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. All three are Republican candidates for governor.
“We will work with their offices to find a time that works for a hearing or get answers however we can so they can at least pretend to do the job they’re paid to do,” Jones spokesperson Ines Owens said.
Raffensperger skipped a State Ethics Committee hearing on his dispute with the Trump administration about sharing access to Georgia’s voter data. Instead, he wrote a letter branding the idea as reckless and illegal.
Carr sent deputies in his place to a House Appropriations Committee hearing to brief lawmakers on budget proposals. Raffensperger attended a similar hearing earlier in the week.
Esteves takes aim
Jason Esteves told a crowded campaign kickoff party last night that he is the only Democrat who can win the governor’s race in November. In the process, he also took aim at two of his opponents in the Democratic primary, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
Esteves described Bottoms as “a one-term mayor who, when the city needed her, was absent, with a city divided and your public safety at risk.”
Duncan, he said, “passed some of the worst legislation in the last decade,” including the state’s abortion restrictions, new voting limitations and looser gun laws. “Instead of running for reelection to fix it, he chose not to. He cut and run, paving the way for Burt Jones.”
“I will always fight for you,” Esteves said.
Along with supporters and volunteers, multiple current and former elected officials turned out for the event, including Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, D-Augusta; state Sens. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain; RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta; and Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta; state Rep. Phil Olaleye, D-Atlanta, and former state Sen. Jen Jordan.
Under the Gold Dome
The Legislature is off this week. Lawmakers will briefly convene on Monday, but won’t conduct any legislative business because of an ice storm predicted to hit much of the state.
Some happenings today:
- 8 a.m.: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety meets to review Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget proposal.
- 9:30 a.m.: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources meets to review Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget proposal.
Harper’s picks
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper will announce another primary endorsement today. He’s backing Jim Kingston in the Georgia’s 1st Congressional District race to replace U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is running for the Senate.
Kingston, 35, is an insurance executive and the son of former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, the man Carter replaced in Congress. Harper said the younger Kingston “understands that agriculture is more than just a job or hobby, it’s a way of life we must fight to defend every single day.”
Harper also endorsed Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming, R-Covington, for secretary of state earlier this week.
Abrams’ aims
Stacey Abrams isn’t running for governor, but she’s ratcheting up her national profile in other ways.
The former Georgia gubernatorial nominee said her 10 Steps Campaign has added dozens of national, state and local partners.
Abrams launched the effort last year to counter what she calls the rise of authoritarianism following President Donald Trump’s reelection. She said she aims to “reach people where they are and give them concrete ways to take action.”
The coalition includes progressive groups such as Democracy Forward, Fair Fight, Indivisible, MoveOn, Run for Something and Vote Save America.
Listen up
There is no “Politically Georgia” podcast today. We’ll be back on Monday.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an 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.
Shutdown unlikely
The U.S. House on Thursday approved the last of 12 appropriations bills before heading home early to avoid an incoming winter storm. Now, it’ll be up to the Senate to vote on these bills next week to avoid a partial government shutdown at midnight on Jan. 30.
That means senators from both major political parties must come together for at least 60 votes in favor of the legislation. Most of these appropriations bills have had wide bipartisan support, with one exception: legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security.
All but seven House Democrats voted against the bill, citing concerns following the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota. That bill now comes to the Senate in a package with five other pieces of legislation, lowering the likelihood Democrats will vote against it.
The appropriations package also repeals a provision included in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending law that allows Senate Republicans whose phone records were subpoenaed as part of the Jan. 6 investigation to sue the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The weather could be a wild card. The Senate’s session could be delayed depending on the storm’s impact.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will sign legislation and meet with Frank Bisignano, commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
- The House and Senate are done for the week.
- Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson will attend the “March For Life” anti-abortion rally.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Noel Williams Jr., R-Cordele.
Upcoming birthday:
- State Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, D-Savannah (Saturday).
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.
Before you go
Answers to this week’s news quiz:
- C) Permitted large vacation homes to be built on the island. The referendum passed with 85% of the vote.
- A) A school voucher program. Georgia is one of the few states that have agreed to participate so far.
- D) The Wall Street Journal editorial board. The board said the plan would hinder economic growth.
- C) Lemon pepper. The resolution says the flavor “has emerged as a flavor that is distinctly tied to Georgia, representing creativity, boldness, and Southern hospitality.”
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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