Attorney General Merrick Garland announced earlier today that the DOJ is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting law, alleging that it discriminates against Black voters:
Breaking: DOJ is suing the state of Georgia under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, alleging discrimination against Black voters in the state in its recent voting changes, AG Garland announces. https://t.co/KG7WKKKzf9 pic.twitter.com/byoqoD36iT
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) June 25, 2021
He also said the DOJ “will ‘prioritize’ investigating death threats targeting state and federal elections officials”:
Garland said the Justice Department will “prioritize” investigating death threats targeting state and federal elections officials and create a task force to focus on the scourge. "We will promptly prosecute any violations of federal law,” he says. #gapol
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 25, 2021
They’ll be looking at other states as well:
After announcing Georgia lawsuit, AG Garland says the Justice Department is also reviewing new voting laws in other states to see if there will be more legal actions https://t.co/PVD7Z6wZVZ pic.twitter.com/YtCoEjSU0C
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 25, 2021
This is “some next-level score-settling by the Biden Administration”:
Filing this lawsuit against Georgia a week after Stacey Abrams endorsed photo ID for voting and voter file purges is some next-level score-settling by the Biden Administration.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 25, 2021
And former President Trump suggested that it’s actually the people of Georgia who should sue the state “for running a CORRUPT AND RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION”:
As for who wins in all this, “it’s like Christmas morning” for Gov. Brian Kemp says one GOP official:
And re: the political implications for Kemp, who continues to try to shore up a conservative base still uneasy with how he handled Trump’s appeals to illegally overturn his election defeat:
“It’s like Christmas morning…” says a GOP official. #gapol pic.twitter.com/YrrhYFWVP9— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 25, 2021
This really is a gift to the governor as he faces a primary challenge from former Dem and pro-Trump Vernon Jones:
Says @GovKemp: “This lawsuit is born out of the lies and misinformation the Biden administration has pushed against Georgia’s Election Integrity Act from the start…” Again, he’s clearly not disappointed from a political standpoint that Biden admin is challenging the law. #gapol pic.twitter.com/CFIwbRYleP
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 25, 2021
Kemp is already talking about it, too:
At a press conference in windy Savannah, @GovKemp calls the DOJ lawsuit a “politically motivated assault on the rule of law and our democracy.” He links it to the “unconstitutional power grab” of the federal voting law blocked by the GOP days ago. #gapol pic.twitter.com/rCISNePtsp
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 25, 2021
Thanks, Biden!
Kemp calls the legal challenge “quite honestly disgusting” and vowed Georgia would prevail in court. He rails against the “woke mob” and says he’s not backing down. “They are coming to force their agenda on you and your community.” #gapol pic.twitter.com/eWSw6BLyAI
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 25, 2021
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