Since Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted former President Donald Trump for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been on the attack.
The conservative firebrand has labeled the criminal prosecution of Trump and 18 others as a political vendetta and chastised the district attorney for ignoring more serious crimes in Atlanta.
On Tuesday, Greene spread her criticism to her fellow Republicans, most notably Gov. Brian Kemp. On Tuesday, Kemp defended the state’s voting system via social media in response to yet another false claim by Trump that the 2020 election was rigged.
Greene, R-Rome, compared Kemp’s rebuke of Trump to standing with Willis and co-signing her investigation.
“His message should have been against this, not arguing with President Trump about the election and making it about his own ego and pride over Georgia’s election,” Greene said. “That’s a bad statement, and I was very upset over it.”
Greene questioned whether Kemp’s statements could erode his support among GOP voters in the future. She referenced Kemp’s rumored 2026 U.S. Senate run — the governor is term-limited in his current post — and wouldn’t rule out challenging him in a GOP primary for the Senate seat.
“I haven’t made up my mind whether I will do that or not,” she said. “I have a lot of things to think about. Am I going to be a part of President Trump’s Cabinet if he wins? Is it possible that I’ll be VP?”
Greene called serving as Trump’s running mate “an honor” and something she would consider “very, very heavily.” She’d previously shunned suggestions that she join Trump on the GOP’s 2024 presidential ticket.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. A huge news week in Georgia politics is only halfway done. So we’ve convened our entire four-player Politically Georgia team for a podcast to tackle the biggest takeaways from the Fulton County indictments, including Gov. Brian Kemp’s declaration Tuesday that the “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.”
Have a question for the pod? Call our 24-hour hotline at 404-526-2527 and we’ll answer it on Friday’s episode.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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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 shared these headlines late Tuesday:
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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
TRUMP TIME. Former President Donald Trump has promised to unveil a “conclusive report” that will lead to his exoneration in the Fulton County election interference case. He’s scheduled a news conference for Monday.
The New York Times reports that Trump’s defense involves a 100-plus page document compiled in part by Liz Harrington, a Trump press aide who has promoted his false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Trump’s challenge drew a stinging rebuke from Gov. Brian Kemp, who declined to comment on the indictment of the former president but laced into him for falsely claiming election irregularities cost him a victory in Georgia.
“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen,” Kemp wrote in a social media post that has gone viral.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
WALKER TALKER. Herschel Walker ended a personal month-long social media blackout to offer his opinion on this week’s developments in Fulton County.
Posting on Tuesday for the first time since early July, Walker wrote “WOW, what is going on here in the great State of Georgia?”
Other than tweeting about charity motorcycle rides, the failed GOP Senate nominee and friend-of-Trump has been mostly silent on social media since his runoff loss last year to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
TAX FACTS. Fulton County Republican state lawmakers have penned a letter opposing a proposed county property tax increase. They say the tax hike would “place yet another financial burden upon residents when high inflation is already negatively impacting them.”
The letter was signed by House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and state Reps. Scott Hilton, Todd Jones, Mesha Mainor, Chuck Martin and Deborah Silcox. Each represents a slice of the Democratic-dominated county.
Signing onto the letter is one of Mainor’s first political acts since she switched to the GOP from the Democratic Party in July.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
NEVADA BETS ON NEW DATE. Georgia’s next door neighbor South Carolina slid down a spot on the 2024 presidential nominating calendar Monday when Nevada’s Republican Party announced an earlier-than-normal date for the state’s GOP caucuses.
Nevadans will make their choice on Feb. 8, 16 days ahead of South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary on Feb. 24. Along with Iowa (Jan. 15) and New Hampshire (late January), these early voting states often set the tone for the rest of the primary election cycle ahead of “Super Tuesday” in early March.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LOST CAUSE? Every 10 years, government officials in several Georgia counties engage in a don’t-you-dare-blink stare down over a 1% local option sales tax (LOST).
On Monday, a Georgia Senate study committee met to discuss lowering the stakes around these negotiations.
The local option sales tax generates revenue that municipal and county governments use to fund operations. The terms expire once a decade, although the tax renews so long as all stakeholders — municipalities and the county authority — agree to a revenue breakdown formula.
Negotiations are often contentious, and the most recent cycle saw significant revenue distribution swings in locales such as Chatham County and Tift County.
In Chatham, home to Savannah and seven other municipalities as well as a heavily populated unincorporated area, a months-long impasse threatened a 75% millage rate increase for City of Savannah taxpayers.
State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Democrat who represents Savannah residents, is leading the study committee. He plans three more public meetings on the topic and hopes the committee will recommend legislative remedies for consideration during the 2024 session.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks from the White House marking the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act being signed into law.
- U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, hosts the third of four workshops meant to help constituents learn how to apply for and obtain federal grants and earmarks funding.
- The House and Senate remain at recess through the end of August.
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Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
PROMOTIONS BLOCKADE. Of the now more than 300 military promotions held hostage by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s abortion-related legislative stand, four are related to leadership positions at Georgia bases: One each at Robins Air Force Base, Ft. Gordon, Ft. McPherson and Ft. Stewart.
The breakdown is according to an analysis from the Washington Post. The news outlet found that the Alabama Republican’s protest is affecting 266 vacancies in the U.S. and another 35 abroad.
Tuberville is using Senate rules to withhold military promotions in response to a Department of Defense policy that provides leave and reimburses travel expenses for personnel forced to travel to undergo abortions. More than 20 states have restricted the procedures since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
The Post says Pentagon officials estimate 650 of 852 generals and admirals across all military branches will be affected should Tuberville’s blockade continue through the end of the year.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
COBB TEACHER. A tribunal has ruled that the Cobb County School District improperly moved to fire a teacher who read a controversial book to her students.
The ruling by a board comprised of three retired educators means that Due West Elementary teacher Katie Rinderle could keep her job, the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander writes. The county’s school board will make that decision.
Board Chair Brad Wheeler said that determination could come as soon as Thursday’s meeting. The board can adopt, reject or modify the tribunal’s decision.
The school system initially acted to remove Rinderle from the classroom after she read “My Shadow is Purple” to her fifth graders. She and her attorneys argued the book is about inclusivity, not gender identity, but the district questioned her professional judgment.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. You’ve all met loyal dogs in your day, but have you met Molly Brown Schmidt, today’s Dog of the Day?
The 12-year-old Labrador retriever mix calls AJC subscribers Paul and Lee Schmidt her people. Home for them is Santa Fe, New Mexico — along with three cats and two horses.
A reliable source reports The Jolt arrives before dawn Mountain Time. When it is read, coffee is consumed and Molly begins the first of several slow spins around the property to make sure all is well in their land of enchantment.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
