Today’s highlights include:
- Fulton County district attorney fights a subpoena.
- More charges dropped against former President Donald Trump.
- Trump rejects another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns framed the GOP debate over gun safety measures this week by releasing a list of policies he has either endorsed or wants to study following the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School.
What’s less clear is whether Gov. Brian Kemp will also seek a middle ground on gun-related measures that have long stalled in the Legislature.
Asked about Burns’ stance on Wednesday, Kemp told us it was too soon to delve into a policy debate. Earlier that day, he added, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation briefed him on the mass shooting investigation.
Said Kemp:
“I'm very interested in making sure we learn all the facts before I try to weigh in on my thoughts on different policy issues. We worked with the General Assembly last year on a lot of the things that the Speaker was talking about in his letter, and we'll continue to do that on this issue and a lot of other issues as we go into the legislative session."
We asked him if he thinks there are broader legislative remedies that could have prevented the tragedy.
“That's what we're trying to find out — all of the facts of what happened. Personally, I think there's a lot of people weighing in on the political side of this before they know what the facts are. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to stay focused on helping that community heal, getting the facts in the investigation. And we've got plenty of time to talk about potential legislation."
A Kemp aide said Kemp’s remarks criticizing those “weighing in on the political side” were aimed at Democrats calling for gun control measures and not Burns and his allies.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
DEEPER DIVE. A mass shooting that left two teachers and two students dead is reason enough for Republican House Speaker Jon Burns to sharpen his stance on gun legislation.
But he also has to worry about preserving his party’s 102-78 edge in the Georgia House this November. In a handful of swing districts, the chamber’s pro-gun policies could come back to haunt some GOP incumbents.
One of them is state Rep. Deborah Silcox of Sandy Springs, whose north Atlanta seat might be the most competitive legislative district in the state. This year, she faces a tough challenge from Democrat Susie Greenberg.
In the days since the shooting, Silcox’s campaign has promoted digital ads that feature the Republican with a direct-to-camera message that breaks with her party by supporting “background checks for all gun owners.”
She notes, too, her vote against “campus carry” legislation that allowed gun owners with concealed-weapon permits to legally carry their firearms on public college campuses with limited exceptions.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
SUBPOENA DRAMA. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants a judge to block a subpoena that would force her to testify before a state legislative committee.
Several Fulton County Superior court judges have recused themselves, per the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman. They include Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing Willis’ election interference case against former President Donald Trump. That’s the same case that has raised the ire of some Republicans in the state Senate who now want Willis to come answer questions.
Willis launched an investigation of Trump that resulted in his indictment, prompting Georgia Senate Republicans to launch an investigation of Willis. The Georgia Special Senate Committee on Investigations will meet today without Willis, whose lawyer said she will not comply with the subpoena while her court case to block it is still pending.
“I am very disappointed that an elected official such as Ms. Willis, who is elected to enforce the law, believes that she is above it,” said state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens and chair of the committee.
In Willis’ absence, lawmakers will discuss the ins and outs of the Legislature’s subpoena power, with testimony from former Secretary of the Senate David Cook and Legislative Counsel Stuart Morelli.
While the special committee is meeting without her, Willis will be in Washington participating in a panel discussion during the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference. The session, hosted by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is titled, “Clapback.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
CHARGES DROPPED. Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Thursday removed three more counts from an indictment involving former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen others in an election interference case, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman reports.
McAfee concluded the criminal conduct described in the felony counts, which all involve alleged false statements made to a federal court, “lie beyond this state’s jurisdiction” under the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause and must be removed. Trump was originally charged with two of those counts.
Technically, McAfee’s order affects only two of the 15 remaining defendants in the case: attorney John Eastman and state Sen. Shawn Still, R-Norcross. But the judge’s findings would eventually apply to the other defendants charged with those counts, including Trump, once the Georgia Court of Appeals lifts a stay impacting the bulk of the case.
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CORPORATE MUSCLE. A group of 88 current and former top executives from across the corporate world released a letter this month endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Among them are two Georgians: Rosalind “Roz” Brewer, formerly of Sam’s Club and Starbucks, and Daniel Halpern, a top Democratic financier who is co-founder and chief executive of Jackmont Hospitality.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
HE WEARS MANY HATS. President Joe Biden has been less visible since he decided not to seek reelection. But lots of people saw him this week briefly don a red hat emblazoned with the word “Trump” during a visit to Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The viral moment has ricocheted across the internet days after a high-stakes debate between former President Donald Trump and Biden’s preferred successor, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Thanks for the support, Joe!” the Trump campaign posted on X.
The White House noted that, after speaking about “bipartisan unity after 9/11,” Biden “gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”
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NO REMATCH. Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” (caps lock, his).
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,’” Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social. He debated President Joe Biden in Atlanta over the summer and Vice President Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Harris had asked for another debate.
The former president’s statement left many people resurfacing a post on X from one of his most prominent Georgia supporters, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins. The Jackson Republican, after watching Trump face off against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, made a declaration that did not age well.
“You want to know who won?” Collins wrote. “Find out who refuses to do a 2nd debate.”
While Trump and Harris might not debate again before Election Day, their running mates are scheduled to spar on Oct. 1. That’s when Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are set to debate in New York City. And at least one of them is excited about it.
“I can’t wait to debate the guy,” Walz said of Vance last month, shortly after Harris picked him as her running mate.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
BLACK VOTERS. A 13-city tour aimed at mobilizing Black men for this year’s election launches today. Its first stop will be at an Athens hotel.
Two groups, the Black Man Lab and New Georgia Project, announced the tour on Thursday in Decatur against the backdrop of a new statue of the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. The statue was installed last month at the former site of a Confederate monument.
“It is nonpartisan, but it’s absolutely political, because politics is who gets what, when, where, and if you get it at all,” said Francys Johnson, board chairman for New Georgia Project. “Every election is a political decision — the decision to stay home, the decision to show up, the decision to educate yourself about the candidates up and down the ballot.”
Each stop on the tour, which will include churches, community centers and college campuses, will feature panel discussions with 50 to 100 Black men, encouraging them to vote.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., talks about another potential government shutdown. Then AJC contributor Meagan Hanson discusses the upcoming Georgia visit of U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential candidate.
You can listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us.
On Thursday’s show, state Sens. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, and Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, spoke about what’s next in the presidential race after Tuesday’s debate. Also, Paulding County Elections Director Deidre Holden talked about local election boards.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at a White House brunch in celebration of “Black excellence.” Later, Biden will meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and first lady Jill Biden will visit Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, as part of the Joining Forces initiative supporting military families.
- The Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference continues with a panel on the Supreme Court hosted by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, has a session on services for veterans. And for the second year, Reps. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, and Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, are hosting “The South Got Something to Say” Sneaker Ball.
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., will hold a news conference in Atlanta to highlight his bill providing support services for veterans.
- The U.S. House and Senate and done for the week.
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ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. We’re 52 days away from the election. Here’s what’s happening:
- Claudia De la Cruz, presidential candidate for the Party of Socialism and Liberation, will hold a campaign event tonight in Clarkston.
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will deliver remarks at a fundraiser in Oxford, Mississippi, and a campaign event in The Villages, Florida.
- Vice President Kamala Harris will rally supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
- U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, will participate in a phone bank for the Harris campaign in Atlanta targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.
- Former President Donald Trump will hold a news conference at his golf course in Los Angeles and a campaign rally in Las Vegas.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will attend campaign events in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Michigan, then speak to volunteers at a campaign office in Wausau, Wisconsin.
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LOBBYING CHANGE. One of the country’s top lobbying firms will likely have a new home next year.
Troutman Pepper Strategies is a subsidiary of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, one of the oldest and largest law firms in Atlanta. The firm announced this week that it will merge with the Texas-based firm Locke Lord early next year, according to the AJC’s Rosie Manins.
What that means for Troutman Pepper Strategies remains to be seen. A spokesperson said those details are still being discussed and won’t have updates until the new year.
Troutman Pepper Strategies is led by Robert Willis, a native Georgian who formerly worked in the state Senate and in the lieutenant governor’s office. His roster of clients include big names like Aflac, Delta Airlines, FedEx, General Motors and Coca-Cola.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:
- State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta.
Transitions:
- Bill Linginfelter, Atlanta market executive for Regions Bank, is retiring at the end of this year. His successor will be Mary Beth Coke.
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.
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AS ALWAYS, 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.
