Grand jury testimony shows how some Republicans kept their distance from Trump
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Test your knowledge with our weekly news quiz.
- Rich McCormick returns to the town hall circuit.
- Republican candidates for Georgia governor stay silent on LGBTQ+ questions.
Do you know Trump?
A who’s-who of Georgia politicians and activists paraded before a Fulton Grand Jury four years ago as part of an election interference case against President Donald Trump.
Now, you can read what they said.
Thursday night, Lawfare published thousands of pages of grand jury testimony from the now-dismissed election interference case. The trove includes testimony from the likes of former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Gov. Brian Kemp, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and many more.
There’s a lot to digest here. But one thing stood out in our first reading: Prosecutors wanted to know what relationship witnesses had with Trump, and many were careful not to overstate.
“I wouldn’t call it — refer to it as — as ‘a relationship.’ I’ve met him a few times,” said Duncan, who at the time was a Republican and is now a Democratic candidate for governor.
“I don’t have a relationship with him,” Republican Attorney General Chris Carr declared.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Trump didn’t know who he was before 2020, adding that he voted for him twice. But he said his perception of the president changed after the 2020 election.
“I think we’re called to a higher standard,” Raffensperger said of elected officials.
Asked if she was friends with Trump, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler — now a member of Trump’s cabinet — replied, “We had a strong working relationship and became friendly. I don’t presume to be friends with presidents, but I do consider him a friend.”
Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, now Trump’s ambassador to China, had perhaps the most eyebrow-raising answer.
“I don’t know if he called me a friend, you know, I lost,” Perdue said, a reference to his 2021 loss to now U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. “I supported the agenda. I didn’t support what he said most of the time — or a lot of the times, but I supported the agenda.”
Friday news quiz
Good morning! How closely did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.
New Atlanta City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet withdrew a funding request after fierce backlash. What was the request?
- A) New furniture for her office.
- B) A wardrobe budget.
- C) A car and driver to transport her to official events.
- D) Catered meals.
A new AJC poll shows most Republicans agree with Trump’s ideas, except one. What is it?
- A) Attacking Iran.
- B) Have the federal government to take over elections.
- C) His handling of the economy.
- D) His emphasis on immigration enforcement.
Students at the Morehouse School of Medicine are protesting their graduation speaker. Who is it?
- A) Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
- B) U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach.
- C) Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
- D) U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new education law this week. What does it do?
- A) Requires metal detectors at all public high schools.
- B) Bans high school students from using cellphones during the school day.
- C) Adds a “soft skills” course as a graduation requirement.
- D) Allows the state to withhold driver’s licenses from chronically absent students.
Crowd control
A year ago, U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick became a cautionary tale for Republicans holding public town halls.
His forum in Roswell erupted in boos and jeers from constituents furious over his support for Trump’s mass firings of public health and government workers. Soon after, House Speaker Mike Johnson used McCormick’s event as an example to urge Republicans to stop holding them.
On Thursday night, McCormick returned to the town hall circuit in Alpharetta. But this one looked very different.
There was more security. More staff. A half-full hotel ballroom in Alpharetta instead of a standing-room-only crowd. And instead of standing alone on stage, the Suwanee physician brought two conservative talk show hosts to help keep the peace.
“We aren’t going to do interruptions, because otherwise we would be doing that all day long,” he told the crowd.
Many questions were friendly, touching on veterans issues and how to build consensus in Washington. The sharper moments came when McCormick was pressed by a Republican over his support for temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, and later over the FBI’s raid of Fulton County’s election center. McCormick said agents were there to “find out the truth.”
Plenty of attendees still left frustrated. But compared with last year’s meltdown, this was less a revolt than a controlled burn.
Crickets
Georgia Voice and Atlanta Pride teamed up to ask the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor some questions about LGBTQ+ issues.
Four of the seven Democratic candidates responded. None of the Republicans did.
Silence from the GOP wasn’t a surprise. One question began by saying Trump had rolled back protections and resources for LGBTQ+ Georgians before asking “what specific actions would you take to restore and strengthen those protections?”
It’s the kind of question someone running in a Republican primary doesn’t want to answer.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Amanda Duffy, Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves were happy to answer that question.
- Bottoms said she’d start an LGBTQ+ advisory council.
- Duffy said she needed to do more research on what she could do as governor, but stands ready to help repeal some state anti-LGBTQ laws.
- Duncan said he would protect LGBTQ+ Georgians from discrimination.
- Esteves pledged to appoint leaders to state agencies sand boards “who are committed to fairness” and would “enforce nondiscrimination policies.”
Abrams infighting
In 2013, healthcare executive Rick Jackson’s firm gave Stacey Abrams a $500 donation when she was House minority leader.
Now, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones wants to make sure it follows Jackson into the final stretch of the GOP race for governor.
“Rick Jackson is a fraud,” Jones said.
Jackson’s campaign pushed back hard, casting the attack as a recycled version of the criticism Donald Trump faced in 2016 over his past Democratic donations.
“Rick Jackson never donated to Stacey Abrams, and when she ran against Brian Kemp, Rick supported Kemp at the maximum level allowed,” his campaign fired back.
His aides said the $500 corporate contribution came from Jackson Healthcare during a broader 2013 push for conservative tort reform, and noted the company later gave $100,000 to the Georgia GOP to help defeat Abrams and other Democrats.
Jackson’s team also tried to turn the scrutiny back on Jones, pointing to financial disclosures showing the lieutenant governor reported a net worth of less than $11 million but received $17 million in loans for his campaign.
Their question: How?
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 on 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.
Obama endorsement
Former President Barack Obama, who remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, has endorsed two left-leaning candidates running for seats on the Georgia Supreme Court.
“State supreme court justices play a critical role in defending your rights and freedoms, which is why the election happening in Georgia right now is so important,” Obama wrote on X.
“Make sure you have a plan to vote for Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, the only two candidates in the race with strong records of standing up for all Georgians.”
Today in Washington
- Trump will attend a LIV Golf Dinner in the D.C. suburbs.
- The House returns Tuesday and the Senate on Monday.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- Former state Sen. Horacena Tate.
Upcoming birthday:
- Former state Rep. Roger Bruce (Saturday).
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. 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) A car and driver to transport her to events. “I heard you,” Overstreet said of the backlash to her request. “I heard the internet crashing.”
- B) Having the federal government take over elections. About 48% of likely Republican primary voters thought this was a bad idea.
- D) U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick. The Republican congressman is a graduate of the school, but some students say his votes in Congress don’t reflect the institution’s values.
- B) Bans high school students from using cellphones during the school day. Georgia already does this in elementary and middle schools.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information 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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