A familiar face temporarily joined Georgia’s trade delegation to Israel on Monday at a reception hosted by the U.S. embassy for Israeli executives to strengthen business ties between the two governments.
Although she isn’t a member of the delegation that traveled from Georgia to Israel, Democratic state Rep. Esther Panitch was invited to attend the event by the embassy since she was in Israel with her daughter Miriam. Panitch is the only Jewish member of the General Assembly.
Panitch is a key sponsor of House Bill 30, a measure to combat antisemitism that passed the Georgia House and hasn’t yet reached a final vote in the Senate.
Credit: Contributed photo
Credit: Contributed photo
Kemp hasn’t yet publicly endorsed the measure, but Panitch said his trip with a delegation of senior officials to Israel “inspired me to believe that they understand why this is a fight we cannot afford to abandon or compromise.”
“Saying ‘never again’ includes making sure that we define antisemitism properly in order to make sure it doesn’t get the chance to take hold,” added Panitch, who lives in Sandy Springs.
Credit: Israel GPO/Kobi Gideon
Credit: Israel GPO/Kobi Gideon
In a closed-door meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned Kemp and other delegates about the status of the legislation. Kemp executive counsel David Dove told him it was a two-year session and that the measure would be up for debate again in 2024.
Kemp, who made an emotional visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum over the weekend, told the crowd of other efforts to combat discrimination, including a measure aimed at discouraging economic boycotts of Israel.
He said the visit “further renews Georgia’s ties to this ancient land and demonstrates our loyalty as an ally, especially as we confront the rise of antisemitism in this current era. We will continue to stand with you in the face of that prejudice and say loudly: ‘Hate has no place in Georgia.’”
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LISTEN UP. Here’s a quick audio recap of the Georgia delegation’s journey to Israel so far.
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JAN. 6 RE-INVESTIGATION. U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk has announced the next phase of his reinvestigation of the House select committee probe of Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.
He recently sent a request to the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department for records and documents related to the response to the Capitol during the riot. In a separate letter to the National Archives, Loudermilk asked for an accounting of all documents related to the mob, saying he wants to be sure that everything the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 reviewed prior to last year’s hearings is also in his possession.
“We know that MPD and federal law enforcement agencies had plainclothes officers at the Capitol that day, but we do not know why,” Loudermilk said in a news release Monday. “We also know that there were serious intelligence failures by Capitol Police leadership before and on January 6th. Additionally, we’re finding gaps in information provided to us by the former January 6th Select Committee.”
Loudermilk, R-Cassville, cites as an example a redacted letter the select committee published but which was not provided to his new oversight committee.
As head of the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, Loudermilk has been empowered by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to investigate the select committee’s Jan. 6 investigation.
In March, Loudermilk announced that his preliminary review confirmed there was nothing improper about tours of the Capitol complex he conducted the day before the deadly riot. He said that proved the select committee’s investigation was flawed.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
TIM SCOTT FOR PREZ. State Sen. Jason Anavitarte journeyed to Charleston on Monday to attend U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential launch.
Although he stopped short — at least for now — of endorsing Scott, Anavitarte offered glowing praise for the first Black Republican from the South elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.
“I think Tim Scott has great potential,” said Anavitarte. “Americans need to see the true diversity in the Republican Party and there is no greater messenger for our values and our inclusivity than Sen. Scott. He’d make a great president.”
Anavitarte, of Dallas, became the first Latino Republican elected to the state Senate when he won his race in 2020. Earlier this year he co-founded the Georgia Hispanic Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the General Assembly.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
NON-COMPETITIVE MAP. Matthew Klein and David Wasserman have their full take on the 2024 reelection landscape for each member of Georgia’s House delegation in this week’s Cook Political Report.
They write that Georgia no longer has any competitive House districts following the General Assembly’s redistricting ahead of the 2022 elections, which left the battleground state with nine Republicans and five Democrats in the House.
“As it stands, there’s not much to chew on in the Peach State in 2024 besides the presidential race,” they write. “But that could change if 76-year-old Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02) or 77-year-old Rep. David Scott (GA-13) decide to retire, creating opportunities for Black Democrats to move up.”
Credit: T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times
Credit: T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times
Among their other key takeaways: Even safe-for-now districts could change as Atlanta’s suburbs continue to trend more Democratic, including in U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s 6th District, which they call a “ticking time bomb for the GOP.”
Finally, they conclude, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, “is at virtually zero risk of losing reelection,” while U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, “comes armed with a resume perfectly tailored to his mountainous 9th District.”
And they added this nugget about U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta: “There have long been whispers that she may eventually make a bid for the Governor’s Mansion, which will be open in 2026.”
As we have reported, McBath is considered an early Democratic favorite for 2026.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled, although he will continue closed-door negotiations on lifting the debt ceiling.
- The U.S. House will vote on a Senate-passed resolution repealing emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks; Biden says if it reaches his desk, he will veto it.
- The House Judiciary’s subcommittee on immigration will hold a hearing on the Biden administration’s border policies.
- The U.S. Senate is out for the week.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
BUDDY’S TOP ISSUE. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is joining the House Oversight Committee for a day after receiving special permission to participate in a hearing on one of his pet issues.
Carter has received permission to participate in today’s hearing on the role of pharmacy benefit managers. A former pharmacist, he says these middlemen between insured patients, drug makers and pharmacies drive up costs for consumers.
Last year, Carter released a report outlining what he described as abuses in the pharmacy benefit management industry. He highlighted the stories of patients who reported facing red-tape and denied coverages while seeking access to certain medications.
Critics of pharmacy benefit managers, including the drug manufacturing industry, often point out that three of the largest such companies control the market for 80% of all U.S. patients.
Reining in the use of pharmacy benefit managers has been Carter’s No. 1 priority since being elected to Congress, and today’s meeting will be the first time such a powerful committee has focused on the issue.
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Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
PERSONNEL MOVE. The director of the Environmental Protection Agency region that includes Georgia is moving on.
Daniel Blackman is stepping down from his post as Region 4 administrator to become the agency’s new senior advisor for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) recruitment and diversity, the AJC’s Drew Kann reports.
Jeaneanne Gettle, the current deputy administrator for Region 4, will take over as acting regional administrator on June 4. Region 4 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as six federally recognized Native American tribes.
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Credit: Oliver Contreras/The New York Times
Credit: Oliver Contreras/The New York Times
FLIGHT FUNDS. U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced $12.3 million in federal grants Monday to be divided among four regional airports around Georgia.
The funds will be spent on various infrastructure upgrades at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Cherokee County Airport in Canton, Thomasville Regional Airport in Thomasville, and Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville.
It’s all a part of the Airport Improvement Program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that passed Congress last year. The bill included roughly $619 million for Georgia airports, which is now being divided by the Federal Aviation Administration based on local grant applications.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It’s time to meet Boba Olens, the Cobb County goldendoodle who calls Lauren Olens her person.
A well-placed source tells us that Boba spends her days going for walks in the park, sitting on laps almost big enough to accommodate her and convincing people to buy her ice cream.
And although we never reveal our sources, we would like to submit the following evidence that Boba might also consider Lauren Olens’ dad, former Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, to be her person, as well.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Send us your animals of any political persuasion — dogs, cats, geese, etc., 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.
