Jon Ossoff spars with Republican opponents over ICE shooting in Minnesota
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Georgia State Patrol competes with ICE for workers.
- Chris Carr discusses sports betting.
- State Supreme Court ends the Legislature’s legal fight with Fani Willis.
Minnesota reaction
As a growing number of Republicans press for a robust investigation into federal immigration operations in Minnesota, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is calling on his GOP rivals to reject what he described as “police state tactics.”
The Democrat’s comment to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution follows a federal U.S. Border Patrol agent’s fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis and growing scrutiny from congressional Republicans over the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
“My opponents have a clear choice: do they stand with Trump or with Americans’ Constitutional rights?” Ossoff said. “I challenge each of them to condemn and demand an end to the Trump administration chaos that is undermining Americans’ core civil liberties.”
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, died Saturday after being shot by federal agents. President Donald Trump and his allies have cast Pretti as the instigator in the fatal shooting. Trump blamed Democrats for the shooting while Stephen Miller, his homeland security adviser, called Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”
Video from the scene appears to show Pretti holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic handgun that police say he was licensed to carry, according to The Associated Press.
Ossoff and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock have joined other Senate Democrats who said they would block a bipartisan spending package that includes $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless civil liberties protections are added. The money must be approved by Friday to avert a partial government shutdown.
A group of influential national Republicans are breaking with Trump over the killing, which took place in broad daylight while recorded by bystanders. Others are staying silent.
Locked in a race for Trump’s blessing, Ossoff’s three top Republican rivals have unflinchingly endorsed the president’s agenda. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the GOP front-runner, said Ossoff aims to just “delay, protest and block.”
“Once again, Jon Ossoff is siding with the radical left instead of sensibly working in a bipartisan manner to perform the most basic functions of government, like keeping citizens safe,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter wrote an opinion essay in the AJC on Friday that urged Trump to send more immigration agents to Georgia. He reinforced his stance after the shooting.
“ICE has every right to defend itself,” Carter said. “The violence we are seeing against law enforcement is the direct result of politicians like Jon Ossoff who demonize them for doing their job to keep our cities safe.”
Former football coach Derek Dooley, another leading Republican contender, has not yet weighed in publicly.
Meanwhile, Georgia Democrats have a message of their own: the cellphone footage speaks for itself.
“This is damning. He wasn’t brandishing a weapon,” said state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat running for governor. “His only crime was standing between someone else and pepper spray. They killed him for it.”
Things to know
Good morning! We’re 43 days away from the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. We’re 113 days away from the primary election for U.S. Senate, governor and other offices.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- Georgia’s three leading Republican U.S. Senate contenders say they agree with President Donald Trump that Greenland is essential for national security and trust his leadership on the matter, the AJC’s Tia Mitchell reports.
- The Trump administration’s lawsuit against Georgia seeking voter data was dismissed last week after a federal judge ruled the U.S. Department of Justice filed it in the wrong court, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
- Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, a physician at Emory University and the daughter of an Iranian leader under U.S. sanctions, is no longer employed at the school, the AJC’s Thomas Lake reports.
ICE competition
The Georgia State Patrol has never reached its goal of having 1,000 troopers on the road, topping out at just over 900 in recent years. Now, it appears the Trump administration is making it more difficult for Georgia to keep its workforce.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has poached a few state troopers this year by offering $50,000 signing bonuses, Col. Billy Hitchens, commissioner for the Department of Public Safety, told lawmakers last week. The agency now has 864 troopers, although 80 are in training.
Hitchens said the agency “is recruiting out of the same shrinking employment pool as our local and federal partners.”
Hitchens said the main factors that attract workers are pay, benefits and work culture. Lawmakers seemed satisfied with that last one, praising Hitchens for going out on patrol himself on holidays and during important events. Hitchens said it’s only fair for command staff to do the work they ask of their officers.
“I can tell you I see a lot of surprised faces when they see a Telluride stop them,” Hitchens said, referencing the Kia vehicle reserved for command officers.
Sports betting
At a recent Cobb County Republican Women’s Club gathering, a questioner pressed Attorney General Chris Carr — a GOP candidate for governor — for his position on sports betting.
He’s not for it. He’s also not against it.
“That’s not one that I’m going to champion. I’ve not stood in the way of it,” he said. “I know that’s a debate going on in the Legislature. … I’m going to let them handle that issue.”
Advocates have tried for years to legalize sports betting in Georgia. There’s another attempt this year with a lukewarm sponsor, House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, one of Carr’s rivals for the Republican nomination for governor, has supported legalized sports betting in the past as a way to boost education funding.
While Carr didn’t get behind sports betting, he does have some ideas on how lawmakers should spend the money that could come from taxing it.
“Seems like a good idea might be to dedicate some funding to go to mental health and addiction services,” he said.
Moot point
We’ve been waiting on the Georgia Supreme Court to decide whether state lawmakers can force other elected officials to testify before them. But we’re not going to get an answer this time.
The court last week ended the legal fight between state Sen. Bill Cowsert and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Cowsert was trying to get her to comply with a subpoena his legislative committee issued in 2024. The committee issued a second subpoena in 2025.
The court held a hearing on the case in December. At that hearing, everyone agreed that if Willis would comply with the 2025 subpoena then the case about the 2024 subpoena would be “moot,” or resolved.
That’s what happened. Willis testified on Dec. 17, which is why the court last week ordered the case to be dismissed.
Under the Gold Dome
All legislative committee hearings are canceled today because of the ice storm. The Legislature is meeting, but not conducting business.
Happenings:
- 10 a.m.: Senate convenes.
- 1 p.m.: House convenes.
R.I.P.
Dr. Bill Foege died on Saturday at the age of 89 following a lifetime of fighting and preventing disease around the globe.
Foege was a world renowned public health expert who once directed the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also worked for the Carter Center, Emory University’s medical school and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
When President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to Foege in 2012 for overseeing the eradication of smallpox, he said Foege had “inspired a generation of leaders in the fight for a healthier world.”
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we answer questions from the listener mailbag.
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.
Today in Washington
Happenings:
- President Donald Trump will meet with Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and participate in policy meetings.
- The House is out this week
- The Senate has postponed votes until Tuesday because of the winter storm in Washington.
Shoutout
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Karlton Howard, D-Augusta.
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
Greg Bluestein remembers Michael Adams, the former president of the University of Georgia who died Sunday after a brief illness.
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.
