ATLANTA (AP) — The Republican-controlled Georgia State Senate is moving ahead with an inquiry into
Stacey Abrams
This action occurs as President Donald Trump has set his sights on the two-time Democratic candidate for Georgia governor.
Republican State Senator Bill Cowsert from Athens stated on Thursday that both him and fellow Republicans plan to scrutinize recent ethical concerns indicating improper collaboration between the voter engagement organization New Georgia Project and Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign in 2018.
“We have developed somewhat of a problem these days with dark money in politics, with secret money being used to fund campaigns,” Cowsert said. “The whole purpose of our campaign finance laws is to put sunshine on the issues.”
They also aim to investigate assertions from newly appointed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chief Lee Zeldin that $2 billion was incorrectly allocated to a federation of organizations working towards lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Abrams collaborated with one such group up until the close of last year; however, Trump and other Republicans have singled out Abrams as emblematic of their critique.
$20 billion in grants
awarded during former President Joe Biden’s administration, with Trump highlighting Abrams in a
recent joint address
to Congress.
The vote was split 33-21 along party lines as senators approved the investigation.
The same Georgia panel has been conducting an as-yet unsuccessful inquiry into another adversary of Trump, namely the Fulton County District Attorney.
Fani Willis
.
“Already, we’ve squandered valuable time probing individuals just for headlines and clicks, offering minimal benefits to taxpayers,” stated State Senator Jason Esteves, who represents Atlanta as a Democrat.
Abrams has indicated that Republicans are aiming at her due to her political effectiveness.
When she nearly unseated Republican Governor Brian Kemp in 2018, the ex-state House minority leader, Abrams quickly rose to become a prominent figure within the Democratic Party at a national level. Following that campaign, her focus shifted towards advocating for voting rights, which led to a significant stage nationally and even put her under consideration as Vice President Biden’s running mate in 2020. However, in 2022, she faced defeat against Kemp again in their gubernatorial rematch with an even larger gap between them.
This decision allows the Republican-controlled Senate to hold sessions examining another prominent Democrat, with Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and multiple committee members potentially seeking offices in the 2026 elections.
Armed with
subpoena power
The panel has been attempting to compel Willis to provide testimony regarding potential misconduct during her investigation and prosecution of Trump and others. Nonetheless, their endeavors up until now have revealed minimal new information about Willis or her recruitment processes.
special prosecutor Nathan Wade
, with whom she shared a relationship
romantic relationship
, to head the prosecution against Trump and others.
In 2013, Abrams established the New Georgia Project with the aim of registering additional minority and youthful voters in Georgia and encouraging their participation at the polls. She resigned from her position in 2017 and stated that she was not involved with the organization after that point.
In January, the New Georgia Project along with its associated organization, the New Georgia Project Action Fund, took action.
admitted that they broke
Georgia’s campaign finance laws were violated by not registering as an independent campaign committee and by failing to report contributions and expenditures. The Ethics Commission imposed fines totaling $300,000 on these groups—the highest such penalty ever issued in the state—primarily due to infractions supporting Abrams’ gubernatorial bid in 2018.
The team has been experiencing chaos, with employees being laid off, some claiming they were dismissed for attempting to establish a union.
On February 12, the official appointed by Trump, Zeldin, demanded the restoration of
$2 billion granted
To Empower Forward Communities in April 2024, which makes up $20 billion that Zeldin said was wrongly awarded by Biden’s administration.
Abrams was
senior counsel
Until December, Rewiring America remains active. This organization was part of the Power Forward Communities coalition. However, as stated by spokesperson Joshua Karp, Abrams did not receive payment from Power Forward Communities.
One of the other non-profits that received $7 billion from the total $20 billion.
has sued the EPA
, alleging that it wrongly froze a grant that was lawfully granted.
The Climate United Fund, an alliance of three nonprofits, requested entry into a Citibank account they obtained via the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a scheme established in 2022 by the government.
Inflation Reduction Act
And is more frequently referred to as the Green Bank.
As part of a connected development, the Coalition for Green Capital, another organization that was granted $5 billion through the initiative established during President Joe Biden’s time in office, filed a lawsuit against Citibank. They accused the bank of breaching their agreement due to their reluctance in releasing the grant money.
