Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones braces for legal fight in Fulton County election case

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones avoided charges in the far-ranging Fulton County indictment filed Monday that accused former President Donald Trump and key allies of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. But Jones did participate in one of the election interference activities cited in the indictment — the Georgia fake electors scheme — and could still face prosecution.

On Wednesday, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia signaled it is considering a criminal complaint against Jones. The state agency’s head filed a motion to unseal a special grand jury report that potentially includes findings about Jones.

The lieutenant governor told Fox News he welcomed the chance to tell a prosecutor his story.

Jones’ case is complex. He was among the 16 Republicans who met secretly on Dec. 14, 2020 to sign election certificates claiming Trump as the state’s popular vote winner. Like the other alternate electors, Jones was notified last year by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis he could face charges.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

But a conflict-of-interest complaint against Willis led Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to bar the DA’s office from investigating Jones. The ruling was in response to revelations that Willis hosted a fundraiser for Jones’ Democratic opponent in the 2022 election — a former colleague of hers.

Enter the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to probe Jones.

In the Fox News interview, Jones called Monday’s indictments of Trump and 18 others “disturbing” and said he and other fake electors did nothing wrong. Willis, he said, is embarking on a “self-serving political act.”

At least eight of the fake electors took immunity deals, while three others were charged in the indictment. Jones was referenced in the document as an unindicted co-conspirator.

Meanwhile, a proxy battle over Jones raged among the Georgia Senate’s top lawmakers. Democratic leaders called for a full investigation of the lieutenant governor. Jones’s allies pushed a different narrative.

“Instead of embracing Fani Willis’ circus,” said Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, “you should try to do your jobs.”

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KEEP UP. With 19 defendants and multiple moving parts, we’ll keep you updated every morning with the latest developments from the Fulton County case. Our AJC colleagues filed these stories Wednesday:

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COPY CATS. After Gov. Brian Kemp bluntly rejected former President Donald Trump’s election fraud falsehoods on Tuesday, two GOP presidential contenders quickly backed the governor.

Kemp’s rejoinder came after Trump repeated his lie that the 2020 election was “rigged.” Kemp responded: “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.”

The statement was quickly echoed by former Vice President Mike Pence at the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Indianapolis. Pence was equally blunt.

“The Georgia election was not stolen and I had no right to overturn the election on Jan. 6,” he said.

Ditto former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who amplified Kemp on social media: “This is a strong leader telling the truth. Others should try it.”

Separately, another presidential hopeful, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who also invoked Kemp this week. DeSantis praised the governor’s “thumping” 2022 reelection win, which happened despite Trump’s vow to defeat him.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

MORE PRAISE. Gov. Brian Kemp’s social media post declaring the 2020 Georgia election legitimate also got the attention of the all-important Wall Street Journal editorial board. The news outlet’s leaders wrote “events have vindicated the Republican Georgia Governor for resisting Donald Trump’s stolen-election claims.”

Widely read by GOP campaigns and candidates, the board wrote that both Kemp and Georgia’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, did the right thing in 2020. The editorial noted that Kemp and Raffensperger know better than anyone after the 2022 elections what voters are looking for in the future.

“GOP voters may think the indictments against Mr. Trump are partisan. But if they want to lose again in 2024, they’ll dive down Mr. Trump’s 2020 rabbit hole instead of facing Mr. Kemp’s reality,” the editorial read.

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Credit: Courtesy photo

ELECTION CONNECTION. Earlier this week, a random selection gave Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee oversight of the sprawling Donald Trump indictments. The 37-year-old former prosecutor was appointed to the bench six months ago by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill out an unexpired term of a retiring judge.

The Wall Street Journal notes that McAfee faces election to a full, four-year term in 2024, since serving as a Superior Court judge is an elected position in Georgia.

Also potentially on the ballot in Fulton County next year? District Attorney Fani Willis and Trump, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

VOTE COUNT. Consider state Sen. Josh McLaurin among the public officials who support a voter referendum on the proposed Atlanta public safety training center.

“We have obviously reached a temperature where the City of Atlanta should vote on this,” McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, told us. “It’s mobilization like we haven’t seen in a while. Whether the number of signatures is ruled to be valid or not, I support a vote.”

Construction of the training center, which opponents call “cop city,” has faced protest from those who object to the project.

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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

TAKING STOCK. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen failed to report dozens of stock trades over the past several years, a violation of ethics rules that makes him the latest member of Congress whose financial transactions have drawn scrutiny.

In financial disclosures filed Aug.10, the Augusta Republican lists dozens of trades that should have been reported months or even years earlier.

Raw Story was the first to report on Allen’s trading and notes he belatedly submitted 136 transactions totaling between $3.05 million and $8.56 million.

The congressman’s office says stock trades and other financial transactions are made on his behalf by investment managers and without his direct input. A spokesman for Allen blamed the errors and omissions on a compliance firm that Allen has since parted ways with.

Allen’s issues come amid a wider debate over whether members of Congress should be allowed to trade stocks while in office. The topic rose to prominence during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic when trades reported by Georgia’s then-U.S. senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, were scrutinized. Neither Perdue nor Loeffler were found in violation of federal laws or congressional ethics rules.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

MORE DISCLOSURES. Speaking of financial disclosures, we took a look at the latest annual reports filed by U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both Georgia Democrats.

Warnock’s memoir, “A Way Out of No Way,” sold well enough that he earned $655,000 in royalties during 2022. He reported a net worth between $800,000 and $1.9 million — about 40% higher than before he took office.

As for Ossoff, he reported no income beyond his government salary. Most of his financial assets are in a qualified blind trust valued between $1 million and $5 million.

Ossoff’s net worth ranges between $828,000 and $4.8 million. His wealth is down considerably from 2020 when the then-candidate reported a net worth between $2 million and $7.3 million.

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden will travel to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to attend a private viewing of the body of the late Pennsylvania first lady Ellen Casey. Her husband was the late Gov. Robert Casey and her son is Robert Casey Jr., a current U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.
The House and Senate are still on legislative recess.

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OFFICE HOURS. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and field representatives from his office will host mobile office hours today in Atlanta.

The event is meant for DeKalb and Fulton residents. Members of both counties’ legislative delegations and various local officials will also attend, as will representatives from various state agencies who can answer questions and fulfill requests.

The session is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Georgia Department of Community Health’s board room located at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Southeast in the East Tower.

Join us on Thursday, August 17th for DeKalb & Fulton County Constituent Services Day at the Twin Towers in Atlanta! All info can be found here: https://t.co/Er3zhhObzV

We hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/b2Q8SYkv3p
— Lt. Governor Burt Jones (@LtGovJonesGA) August 11, 2023

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DOG OF THE DAY. Being from a political family has its ups and downs, which Teddy and Ellie know all about. The 3-year-old springer spaniels call state Sen. Mike Dugan and Missy Dugan their people.

On the one hand, Teddy and Ellie don’t get to see the senator much during the legislative session. On the other, they get to be named after the Roosevelts.