Georgia

Anonymous money fuels $5 million in attacks on Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones

Published

7 months ago

December 27, 2025

Anonymous money fuels million in attacks on Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s the biggest mystery in Georgia politics right now: Who’s paying for the attacks on Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones?

Someone operating under the name “Georgians for Integrity” has dumped around $5 million into television ads, mailers and texts. The attacks claim Jones, who already has President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his run for governor next year, has been using his office to enrich himself.

For any Georgian settling down to watch a football game, the ads have been nearly inescapable since Thanksgiving. They’re the opening shot in the public battle for the Republican nomination that will be settled in May’s primary election. But the ads also show how dark money is influencing politics not only at the national level but in the states, with secretive interests dropping big sums seeking to shift public opinion.

The Jones campaign is hopping mad, threatening legal action against television stations if they don’t stop airing ads that a lawyer calls “demonstrably false” and slanderous.

So far, the ads remain on air.

“They want to be anonymous, spend a lot of money, and create a lot of lies about myself and my family,” Jones told WSB-AM in an interview Dec. 16, calling the ads “fabricated trash.”

Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Jones’ top rivals for the Republican nomination, say they are not involved in the attacks. All three want to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who can’t run again because of term limits. There are also multiple Democrats vying for the state’s top office.

Dark money marches on

The Georgia Republican Party has filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission. The GOP claims the ads violate Georgia’s campaign finance law against spending on an election without registering and disclosing donors.

“I think there are far-reaching consequences to allowing this activity to go forward unchecked,” state Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon told The Associated Press. “And the consequences are much broader than the outcome of the May primary.”

It’s a further filtering down of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which led to dramatic increases in independent spending in U.S. elections, said Shanna Ports, senior legal counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center, which seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics.

“Dark money is becoming more and more the norm in races, up and down the ballot, and at early times,” Ports said.

Claims that Jones has been engaged in self-dealing are nothing new —- Carr has been making similar attacks for months. But things escalated after Georgians for Integrity was incorporated in Delaware on Nov. 24, according to that state’s corporation records. The entity identifies itself as a nonprofit social welfare organization under the federal tax code, a popular way to organize campaign spending that lets a group hide its donors.

The Jones campaign says the ad falsely leads viewers to believe that Jones enabled government to take land through eminent domain to help support his family’s interest in a massive data center development in Jones’ home county south of Atlanta. As a state senator, Jones did vote for a 2017 law that opened a narrow exception in Georgia’s law prohibiting governments from conveying property seized through condemnation proceedings to private developers. But eminent domain isn’t being used to benefit the $10 billion development that government filings show could include 11 million square feet (1 million square meters) of data centers.

Group’s records are a dead end

Georgians for Integrity lists its local address as a mailbox at an Atlanta office supply store east on some paperwork submitted to television stations. A media buyer named Alex Roberts, with a Park City, Utah, address, is also listed on those papers, but he hasn’t responded to an email from the AP. Neither has Kimberly Land, a Columbus, Ohio, lawyer listed on incorporation papers. After weeks of heavy spending, no one has proved who’s providing the cash.

The Republican Party contends Georgians for Integrity is an independent committee under Georgia law. That means it can raise and spend unlimited sums, but must register before accepting contributions and must disclose its donors.

But that law identifies such committees as expending “funds either for the purpose of affecting the outcome of an election for any elected office or to advocate the election or defeat of any particular candidate.” And the ads targeting Jones don’t ever identify him as running for governor or mention the 2026 elections, instead urging viewers to call Jones and “Tell Burt, stop profiting off taxpayers.”

But McKoon said those are “semantic games” and that regular voters would definitely think the ads are designed to influence them.

“If you are funding a message that is designed to impact an election — and I think it strains credulity to argue that that is not the case here — then you ought to have to comply with the campaign finance laws that the legislature has seen fit to pass,” McKoon said.

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Georgia

Georgia cops’ alleged misuse of Flock license plate tracking data fuels privacy concerns

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Georgia cops’ alleged misuse of Flock license plate tracking data fuels privacy concerns

Georgia Flock cameras spark widespread misuse fears

ATLANTA – At least ten police officers across Georgia have been arrested and charged with misusing the Flock camera database for personal reasons, adding to growing privacy concerns about the technology.

The cameras, usually mounted to a black pole, record license plates and other data of whoever passes them.

Georgia police database tracking

What we know:

A series of recent arrests has exposed the misuse of Flock license-plate-reading cameras by police officers throughout the state.

In Greene County, Deputy Quin’sha Goss was fired on Tuesday and charged with misusing the system.

The recent arrests include five police officers in Albany, who were also charged earlier this week.

That’s alongside a lieutenant, a sergeant and a deputy in Cherokee County charged last month with violating their oath.

System audits flag searches

What they’re saying:

Flock Co-founder Paige Todd stated that many recent arrests resulted from departments utilizing a new audit assistance tool that automatically flags unusual searches.

“In this case where misuse happened, the technology itself was not creating the misuse. It was it was human beings,” Todd told FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo.

Todd argued that the public safety benefits of the technology heavily outweigh individual instances of human misconduct.

Todd explained, “best way to prevent misuse is now, every member of law enforcement out there knows that this audit exists,”

Todd added that the system has successfully helped track down thousands of individuals across the country.

“We, I believe, solve about a million crimes with our technology,” she said. “10,000 missing people have gone home because of it. This feels like pretty small in comparison.”

Privacy concerns trigger pushback

The other side:

The ACLU of Georgia called the incidents a critical wakeup call regarding constitutional protections and tracking limits. Christopher Bruce of the ACLU of Georgia said, “Jeopardizing your civil rights and civil liberties is never just an unfortunate event. You have constitutional rights, especially a right to privacy. And the question is who polices the police?”

Information security analyst Peter Tran noted that the network relies heavily on automated data collection.

“It uses AI,” Tran said.

Tran said many are uneased by the logging searchable personal data into a nationwide database.

“It becomes a privacy and security issue. So, you’re whereabouts where you shopped, your name, your address,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Dunwoody sets ‘guardrails’ for Flock surveillance cameras use

The blowback has prompted dozens of U.S. communities to end their contracts.

Videos have circulated on social media instructing people how to tear them down or disable them.

In Barrow County, the sheriff said three Flock cameras were recently damaged there.

The sheriff said damage to the devices could be considered a felony.

The Source: The information in this story is based on original reporting by FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo, who interviewed Flock co-founder Paige Todd, ACLU of Georgia representative Christopher Bruce, and security analyst Peter Tran, as well as tracking data from local sheriff offices.

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Georgia

West Nile infections starting to raise concerns in Georgia

Published

17 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

West Nile infections starting to raise concerns in Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. — Positive mosquito samples for West Nile virus have been found in Fulton County, according to the Board of Health.

Officials say the samples came from the Grant Park area and that infected mosquitoes are suspected to be present in the city of Atlanta.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report this year’s West Nile infections are the highest since 2004. The disease has been transmitted by mosquitoes, with reported cases in 23 states. Most of the reported cases are considered severe.

Health officials suggest using an insect repellent registered with the EPA. Wearing long, loose-fitting clothing is also recommended.

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Georgia

Travel and Leisure listed unique experiences in each state, including GA

Published

1 day ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Travel and Leisure listed unique experiences in each state, including GA

It can be hard to find a truly unique experience for your next vacation. That’s where Travel + Leisure comes in.

Back in May, members of the publication’s team created a list in celebration of America’s 250th Fourth of July, highlighting a unique experience in each state “from hidden gems to iconic highlights and editor-approved favorites.”

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Most unique experience in Georgia

The Georgia spot highlighted was the World of Quercus. Here’s what writer Lydia Mansel said about it:

“The 3,800-acre property, dotted with pecan groves and cabins, isn’t your run-of-the-mill retreat. Guests are encouraged to roam the land by golf cart or on foot, visit the biodynamic vegetable garden, fish the Flint River, and connect with the ranch’s horses. Owned by Chiara Visconti di Modrone and her husband Angelos Pervanas, Quercus is a place where relaxation comes in many forms—and you can design your experience to fit your pace and preferences.”