Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said Thursday that he is ready to “tell his side of the story” about his part in the 2020 effort by some Republicans seeking to overturn the presidential election results.
Jones was not one of the 18 allies charged on Monday along with former President Donald Trump on accusations of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election results, though he served as one of the 16 fake Republican Electoral College electors who signed documents falsely claiming Trump won. With the indictments earlier this week, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia has signaled it is considering investigating Jones.
Last year, Jones had been notified by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis that he could face charges. That was before a judge ruled that the Democratic DA had a conflict of interest and could no longer investigate the then-state senator. Willis hosted a fundraiser for Jones’ Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race last year.
Jones said it was “not a surprise” that the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council’s executive director filed a motion to unseal the special grand jury report that resulted from Willis’ investigation last year that could include information about the lieutenant governor.
“When we challenged the DA’s legitimacy last year, the judge ruled in our favor,” Jones told reporters on Thursday. “So we knew it was coming and we welcome the opportunity to talk to somebody who’s not politically motivated and biased and just tell the truth and tell our side of the story.”
At least eight of the GOP alternate electors took immunity deals, while three others were charged in the indictment. Jones was referenced in the document as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Jones has said Willis’ investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election was about pursuing a “political vendetta.”
“It’s been 2 1/2 years and a lot of grandstanding and self-promotion,” he said. “And so I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money, No. 1, and I think they’re higher and better priorities as far as crime and, and backlog in that office. But, you know, that’s not my choice.”
First-term state Sen. Shawn Still, a Norcross Republican, was among those indicted this week on charges stemming from his role as a fake elector. Voting rights groups on Thursday called on Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint a panel to review Still’s eligibility as a senator.
In previous years, a governor has appointed two members of the Legislature to serve on a panel with the attorney general and determine whether a legislator who was facing federal indictment should be suspended. It’s unclear whether that will happen in Still’s case.
“He has the full support of me and he has the full support of the (Republican) Caucus,” Jones said of Still.
Another first-term Republican state senator, Colton Moore of Trenton, has raised eyebrows in the aftermath of Willis’ announcement of charges. He called on Kemp to call a special legislative session so lawmakers could investigate Willis, which he is unlikely to do.
Without Kemp’s support, Moore, who is not a favorite among Republican leaders, would need the support of three-fifths of the House and Senate to compel Kemp to call a special session. Even if all GOP lawmakers supported the move, they don’t have enough members in either chamber to make it happen without at least some Democrats joining in.
Moore lives in the congressional district of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently said she could be interested in running for a higher office.
While some laughed off Moore’s effort, which was posted on social media along with a link to donate to his reelection campaign, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston wasn’t taking his effort lightly.
“We have legislators who haven’t seen one stitch of evidence from the prosecutor’s office now trying to use their bully pulpit to intimidate that prosecutor for doing her job,” Boston said. “We should all be concerned by that.”
The indictments on Monday have also stirred some drama in the state Senate, where Jones serves as the presiding officer.
The day after Trump and his allies were indicted, Senate Democratic leadership encouraged the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to investigate Jones, saying there is “unfinished business.” Senate Democratic Leader Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain said the “scope and participation” Jones had in the slate of GOP electors should be examined.
“He doesn’t get a pass simply because the Fulton County DA wasn’t able to bring charges,” Butler said. “He was involved in the process of putting (the GOP slate of electors) together. All the other people that were involved seem to be having to explain themselves. He should have to explain himself as well.”
Senate Republican leadership pushed back, posting an unattributed statement on social media saying they wouldn’t forget what they called the Democrats’ “childish political theater.”
“Instead of building on our shared successes on literacy, foster care and workforce, they chose to take a petty political swipe at Lt. Gov. Jones that does nothing to create a job, stop a crime or improve a child’s future,” the Republicans said in the statement.
Staff writer Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.
