Gov. Brian Kemp broke his self-imposed gag order on Donald Trump last week when he criticized the former president for lauding North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. But that doesn’t mean Kemp is suddenly on the attack against the ex-president.
He was more restrained this week in an interview with CBS News when he was asked about the federal indictments over Trump’s retaining classified documents and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
“It is concerning, but it’s also a distraction. It’s distracting from what I think people need to be focused on in the presidential race,” said Kemp. “And I also think that there’s a lot of people in the country, including myself, that are concerned about the fairness issue here on federal agencies like the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
He went on to say that the federal charges aren’t “top of mind for most people.”
“Most people are concerned about inflation, they’re concerned about the border, they’re concerned about, ‘Am I going to have a job next year or next month.’ That’s really what I believe Republicans really need to stay focused on, and not get bogged down in the politics of this indictment.”
Asked what he’ll do if Trump wins the nomination, Kemp said he’ll “wholeheartedly” support the Republican nominee.
“Regardless, we’re going to have apparatus here ready to roll heading into the election.”
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LISTEN UP. We’ve got the latest on Gov. Brian Kemp’s moves, former President Donald Trump’s day in federal court, the end of the Georgia GOP convention, all in the mid-week edition of today’s Politically Georgia podcast.
Listen at Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or below.
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Credit: Christian Monterrosa/The New York Times
Credit: Christian Monterrosa/The New York Times
INDICTMENT INTERMISSION? Will the federal indictment against Donald Trump delay state-level cases in Georgia and New York that also target the former president? New York’s top attorney thinks so.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is investigating Trump on civil charges, said she might have to put her case on hold until the federal charges are resolved.
And she said that could also apply to cases brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the potential charges to be brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will unfortunately have to be adjourned pending the outcome of the federal case,” James told the Pod Save America podcast. “So it all depends on the scheduling of this particular case.”
Former Dekalb County District Attorney Robert James told WSB-TV that all three cases could stretch for months or years and that the federal case would get priority in any scheduling conflict.
“If he’s on a calendar for a trial or a motion and there’s a conflict, the federal courts are always going to win and take precedence,” James said.
Willis’ office indicated the probe is on track, issuing a statement that read: “The federal indictments will not have any impact on the Fulton County election investigation.”
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GIVING CREDIT. Georgia has secured AAA bond ratings from each of the three main credit rating agencies: FitchRatings, Moody’s Investors and S&P Global Ratings. Only 10 states in the nation have achieved this trifecta, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
OSSOFF ON AI. The Senate Judiciary subcommittee chaired by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff made international headlines Tuesday by featuring a mother who said she was duped by an AI-generated voice impersonating her daughter and claiming to have been kidnapped.
Jennifer DeStefano testified at a hearing that she received a phone call with a voice identical to her daughter’s crying for help, along with a man demanding ransom and threatening to torture and kill her. “Mom these bad men have me, help me, help me!” the voice said.
Ossoff said he called the hearing to raise awareness to the immediate dangers of certain AI technology and for senators to consider ways to protect Americans from its misuse.
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GUN DEBATE ON DISPLAY. The two faces of the country’s fraught gun debate were on display outside of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday afternoon, and they’re both from Georgia.
Democrats, led by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, were surrounded by dozens of gun control activists for a news conference to promote their push to get several pieces of gun control legislation to the floor, despite Republicans’ opposition.
The Democratic news conference ran overtime and into the next scheduled event, a Republican news conference hosted by U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde promoting his bill to prohibit federal regulation of pistol brace ownership.
It was clear that Clyde, R-Athens, was not happy with the delay as he and other conservatives waited several minutes for the gun control news conference to end.
For now, Clyde’s side is winning. The House approved his pistol brace legislation with bipartisan support after two Democrats crossed party lines to vote for it.
The House votes Tuesday also marked the end, at least temporarily, of the stalemate by hard-liner conservatives that halted floor action for nearly a week.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House will vote to limit federal rule making authority. The House could also consider a censure for U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., over past comments he made regarding former President Donald Trump.
- The Senate has more confirmation votes scheduled.
- The charity Congressional Baseball Game is tonight, and Georgia’s U.S. Reps. Andrew Clyde and Rich McCormick are playing for Team GOP.
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks at the League of Conservation Voters annual Capital Dinner.
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will hold a news conference to discuss the latest economic indicators and any decisions the board may make on interest rates.
- U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, and other Democrats will hold a news conference to promote their legislation protecting access to contraception.
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Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
ELECTION RESULTS. It appears that former state Rep. Derrick Jackson narrowly won the special election runoff and will return to the House representing District 68.
Preliminary unofficial results show Jackson defeating former South Fulton commissioner Mark Baker by just 14 votes out of 1,820 cast.
The seat was previously held by state Rep. Tish Naghise, a first-term Democrat from Fayetteville who died in March.
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Credit: David Barnes for the AJC
Credit: David Barnes for the AJC
GROWING “GEORGIA GROWN.” Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper is growing the Georgia Grown program this summer to include a partnership with the Atlanta Braves, a statewide digital campaign, and farmer’s markets at the Battery each Sunday this summer when the Braves are out of town.
Harper even threw out the first pitch at a Braves game last week.
It’s all part of an effort to supersize the Agriculture department’s Georgia Grown program to encourage Georgians to eat produce grown in the Peach State.
The digital campaign will include a video promoting the Georgia Grown Challenge with Harper, Gov. Brian Kemp, and first lady Marty Kemp. The Agriculture Commissioner knows all about Georgia produce, since he is a seventh-generation farmer from Ocilla.
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CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH. Two years ago, President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth the newest federal holiday. Tuesday night was the second annual concert at the White House to celebrate the holiday, which will be formally observed Monday.
The performances ranged from HBCU marching bands to a gospel number to a medley of “Change is Gonna Come” and “Glory” by songstress Jennifer Hudson, and rapper Method Man served as the MC.
Historical videos filled the gaps between performances, including footage of late Congressman John Lewis speaking at the 1963 March on Washington.
“It left me feeling even more inspired to keep fighting for true justice and equality,” U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, said. “Vice President Kamala Harris reminded us, we’ve come a long way but also have so much further to go.”
Williams recently introduced legislation to amend the U.S. Constitution to formally abolish slavery in America.
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SUMMER HOURS. A scheduling announcement: your Insiders are moving The Jolt to summer hours. That means you can grab a few more minutes of sleep before looking for your daily dose of Georgia politics, which will publish a bit later in the mornings for the time being. Happy summer, Jolt nation!
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Someone who’s already enjoying summer, if not summer hours, is Cooper Allison, the 5-month-old golden retriever who calls Andrew Allison his person.
Cooper spends his days waiting for the weekends to go for walks on the Beltline. While he’s waiting, a reliable source tells us Cooper treats every day like Sine Die, tearing up every piece of paper he can find.
Andrew Allison is a familiar face for the Capitol press corps from his days at the General Assembly. Andrew has gone on to the City of Sandy Springs, but more importantly, he now lives with our Dog of the Day.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
