McBath recalls her son’s death while pressing Bondi on immigration shootings
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Democrats back Brad Raffensperger in legislative fight.
- Derek Dooley criticizes Mike Collins’ taxpayer funded ads.
- A House bill could let delivery robots move faster.
McBath v. Bondi
Attorney General Pam Bondi battled with congressional Democrats on Wednesday, offering aggressive rebuttals during hours of tense testimony. But there was one line of questioning that appeared to disarm her.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, shares a unique connection with Bondi, who was the attorney general of Florida when McBath’s son was fatally shot in 2012. McBath said the man convicted in that case referred to her son as a “thug” and “gang banger” in trying to justify his actions.
“The attorneys from your office actually defended my son’s name, his memory, and defended his honor,” McBath said.
Bondi said she agreed that government officials should be respectful and supportive of victims’ families.
So why then, McBath wanted to know, did Trump administration officials refer to Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse killed by a federal agent in Minnesota, as an “assassin”? Why did they call Renee Good, a wife and mother who was also killed by federal agents in Minnesota, a “domestic terrorist”?
“Will you protect their names like those attorneys back in Florida under your watch protected my son’s name?” McBath asked.
Bondi didn’t directly answer, saying that “we are looking at everything to shed light on what happened that day” and that “I can assure you they will be investigated.”
Things to know
Good morning! We’re 26 days away from the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. We’re 96 days away from the primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other offices.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- A bill moving through the state Legislature would void nondisclosure agreements for victims of child sexual abuse, the AJC’s Thad Moore and Allie Gross report.
- The State Ethics Commission filed new charges against a mysterious group that has spent millions of dollars attacking Lt. Gov. Burt Jones as he seeks the Republican nomination for governor, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says paying President Donald Trump’s legal fees would wipe our her office’s annual budget, the AJC’s Shaddi Abusaid and Kat Greene report.
First Liberty
House Democrats are rallying behind Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office as Republicans push to curb his authority to investigate First Liberty Building and Loan.
“The proper response to fraud is not to unsettle the structure of enforcement,” Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley said in a letter to colleagues, “but to allow it to function steadily, impartially, and without fear or favor so that justice may be done and confidence restored.”
The bill’s GOP backers argue the move is about efficiency, not politics. They say transferring oversight of securities and commodities regulation from Raffensperger’s office to the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance would streamline enforcement and improve coordination.
Fulton County update
The revelation that the FBI relied on years-old, debunked claims about the 2020 election to justify a search warrant for Fulton County ballots has quickly ignited dueling narratives under the Gold Dome.
Democratic state Rep. Saira Draper, her party’s go-to voice on voting rights, called the affidavit released this week a “regurgitation of baseless complaints by election deniers and conspiracy theorists.”
“After more than five years to find evidence of fraud, a rehash of baseless election denier talking points was all the federal government could come up with,” said Draper.
And state Rep. Tanya Miller, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, urged caution: “A search warrant is not permission to engage in a fishing expedition.”
Some MAGA Republicans leaned in. State Sen. Greg Dolezal, a GOP contender for lieutenant governor, went further than most by reviving a threat Democrats have long feared.
“It’s past time for the state to take over Fulton County elections until they prove that they are capable of adjudicating our elections in Georgia,” Dolezal said.
Several GOP members of the State Election Board have told us they’re open to the idea. The next meeting is Feb. 18 in Winder, where the agenda mentions an update on the legal case.
Senate 2026
U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley is taking a swipe at U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a GOP rival in the race, over television ads paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Collins, a Republican from Jackson, used about $100,000 in congressional funds to air a 30-second ad touting his support for an immigration crackdown. The spot features images of Collins with President Donald Trump as a narrator saying he “increased enforcement, increased deportations and increased safety for Georgia.”
The ads fall under “franking,” a long-standing practice that allows members of Congress to use public funds to communicate with constituents about their official work. Under House rules, the ads cannot be explicitly political and must be approved by chamber officials.
Dooley is urging Collins to repay the money, calling it “blatant, taxpayer-funded corruption.” The Collins camp was dismissive.
“This is franked communication approved by the bipartisan House Communications Standards Commission,” Collins’ spokesperson Corbin Keown said. “A washed-up lawyer and failed coach has no relevance to our constitutional authority to communicate with constituents.”
Speed up
Those food delivery robots that scurry all over Atlanta could soon get a lot faster — and a lot louder.
Georgia law has permitted the robots, known as personal delivery devices or PDDs, since 2022. But the law caps their speed at 4 miles per hour when on a sidewalk. They are sometimes so slow to cross the road that it backs up traffic, said state Rep. Todd Jones, a Republican from Cumming.
On Wednesday, the House passed Jones’ bill that would bump up the top speed to 7 miles per hour. He says that’s still lower than other states, noting some permit speeds of up to 12 miles per hour.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines "walking briskly" as 3 miles per hour or faster. Elite marathon runners often maintain a pace of 12 miles per hour.
The bill also requires these robots to make a continuous noise for safety reasons. Jones assured his colleagues it wouldn’t be “disruptive.”
“If it were up to me it would be playing something along the lines of ‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC,” Jones said last week during a public hearing. “I’m told I’m not allowed to put that into statute.”
Under the Gold Dome
It’s Day 18 of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 8 a.m.: House Natural Resources and Environment Committee meets to discuss House Bill 320, which would forbid disposing of solar panels in landfills and require they be recycled.
- 8 a.m.: University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education.
- 8 a.m.: Georgia Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry testifies before the House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee.
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 2 p.m.: Senate Judiciary Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 443, which would increase the punishment for obstructing highways, streets, sidewalks or other public passages.
- 3 p.m.: Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee meets to discuss a new version of Senate Bill 34, which aims to stop utilities from increasing rates to provide electric service to data centers.
Popular Guard
Georgia law enforcement agencies are struggling to hire enough people. The Georgia National Guard wouldn’t know.
The Georgia Guard finished 2025 at 140% of their recruiting goals, Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson told lawmakers on Tuesday.
“We’ve enlisted more recruits in our formations than any other state,” he said.
He added that the Georgia Air National Guard had its strongest recruiting year in 25 years.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down the Republican power struggles triggered by two open congressional seats after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from office and U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk opted not to seek reelection.
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.
Voter ID bill
The U.S. House voted mostly along party lines with all but one Democrat opposing a Republican-led bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
All five Democrats in Georgia’s delegation voted “no” on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, while all eight Republicans were in favor.
The bill would also require a photo ID at polling places or a copy of an ID for mail-in ballots, which is similar to the law in Georgia but not required in other states. And it would require states to cooperate with the federal government on efforts to ensure non-citizens are not registered to vote.
Republicans say the bill will help ensure that non-citizens are not voting in federal elections, which is already prohibited by law. Democrats say the paperwork requirements could make it more difficult for people who are eligible to vote.
Senate Republicans now face pressure to change filibuster rules to allow for easier passage in that chamber instead of the current 60-vote threshold.
Today in Washington
Happenings:
- President Donald Trump will join Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in announcing the administration will no longer regulate carbon dioxide and other pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
- The House will vote on a bill that would no longer classify less-lethal weapons, like Tasers, as firearms.
- The Senate will vote on a bill that would overturn the District of Columbia’s income tax laws.
- The Senate Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- Audrey Haynes, University of Georgia political science professor.
- Former state Rep. Jane Kidd, a past chair of the Georgia Democratic Party.
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
Middle Georgia voters head back to the polls next week to cast their ballots in a special state Senate runoff election.
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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