Georgia

Georgia lawmakers push back on testifying in Trump probe

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2023

Georgia lawmakers push back on testifying in Trump probe

Related Press (AP) — Georgia state lawmakers are pushing again on a state court docket ruling that compelled a few of them to testify throughout an investigation into whether or not former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to affect the 2020 election within the state.

The state Home and Senate adopted guidelines Wednesday that say legislative privilege — a authorized idea rooted within the U.S. and Georgia constitutions that claims lawmakers shouldn’t face questioning for actions relating to creating legal guidelines — ought to protect communications with folks outdoors the legislature. Most majority Republicans voted in favor and most Democrats voted towards.

Crucially, the language is just a part of legislative guidelines. It’s not clear if it could maintain up in court docket, and judges nationwide have usually restricted sweeping claims of legislative privilege.

A Georgia decide dominated final 12 months that lawmakers needed to testify earlier than a particular grand jury in Atlanta about contact with non-public residents on Trump-related issues, even when these communications have been a part of legislative duties.

“We are able to’t all be specialists on each challenge that comes up earlier than us,” Home Majority Chief Chuck Efstration, a Dacula Republican, mentioned Wednesday throughout debate. “We depend on others who do have experience. That communication so as to assist us make these determinations could be protected.”

However Democrats query whether or not Republicans try to cowl up proof from the interval after the 2020 elections, when some GOP lawmakers showcased Trump’s false claims of electoral wrongdoing in Georgia.

“Are we making an attempt to guard that due to a number of the points in elections that got here up with elections?” requested Senate Minority Whip Harold Jones II, an Augusta Democrat.

Fulton County Superior Court docket Choose Robert McBurney dominated in July that lawmakers have broad immunity however might be requested about their conversations with folks outdoors the legislature. Lawmakers had argued they need to be completely immune from testifying.

On the time of McBurney’s ruling, Fulton County District Lawyer Fani Willis mentioned there was proof that testimony given earlier than legislative committees in December 2020 by Trump legal professional Rudy Giuliani and others “was a part of a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Marketing campaign to affect the outcomes of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”

Fred Smith, a constitutional legislation professor at Emory College in Atlanta, mentioned district attorneys have powers that should be revered, too.

“It’s laborious to think about {that a} state legislative rule may form of trump a DA’s skill to interact in their very own state constitutional tasks, as much as the road supplied for within the Structure,” Smith mentioned.

McBurney dominated that the grand jury couldn’t ask questions on communications between lawmakers, or with legislative employees members, discovering these conversations have been immune due to legislative privilege.

However he discovered that such immunity “ought to not be a protect that advantages these outdoors people or in any other case obscures from the grand jury’s view the total scope of the alleged efforts to subvert Georgia’s elections.”

The particular grand jury has since completed its work. McBurney dissolved the panel Monday and has scheduled a Jan. 24 listening to to determine whether or not all or a part of the report ought to be made public.

Willis now should determine whether or not she is going to search indictments from an everyday grand jury towards Trump or anybody else. The prolonged investigation has been considered one of a number of throughout the nation that threaten authorized peril for Trump as he mounts a 3rd bid for the White Home.

Democrats this week additionally questioned a provision that implies one Georgia lawmaker may be capable to block one other lawmaker from testifying if the primary lawmaker refused to permit colleagues to speak about non-public conversations.

“For those who and your colleague to your proper or left are having a dialog a few piece of laws, you’ll have immunity in addition to the colleague you’re speaking to,” Senate Majority Chief Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican, mentioned Monday. “And so you wouldn’t be capable to reveal the dialog that you simply and he or she are having with out jeopardizing the immunity that that senator additionally enjoys.”

As a result of lawmakers are exempt from state open data necessities to supply their very own written communications, it’s doubtless that written and oral communications would come out solely in litigation. Efstration mentioned written communications with govt department businesses would nonetheless be topic to open data legal guidelines.

Each chambers authorised the language as half of a bigger algorithm routinely adopted originally of every two-year session of the Georgia Normal Meeting.

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Observe Jeff Amy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jeffamy.

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Georgia

Georgia Tech Baseball Included In On3 Sports Latest Field of 64 Projections

Published

2 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Georgia Tech Baseball Included In On3 Sports Latest Field of 64 Projections

After being on the outside looking in in last week’s Field of 64 Projections by On3Sports Jonathan Wagner, Georgia Tech is back in the field after winning a series vs No. 9 Duke.

It was a much-needed series win vs the Blue Devils. After losing last week’s series vs Clemson and then a midweek game to Auburn, the Yellow Jackets needed to get a series victory vs Duke. The top seed in their projected region was Mississippi State and the other teams in the region included Dallas Baptist. Right now, Mississippi State sits at No. 16 in RPI, Dallas Baptist at No. 21, and Lamar at No. 63. The Yellow Jackets are currently at 49th.

Of all the regions that Georgia Tech could be in, this is one that is winnable. Mississippi State and Dallas Baptist are really good teams, but Georgia Tech could beat them. It has been some time since the Yellow Jackets have been able to make it out of a regional, but this would be a solid opportunity for them if this were to be the scenario they find themselves in.

Georgia Tech had their game vs Mercer canceled today, but that is not the worst thing in the world. Mercer is a low RPI team and beating them would not have done the Yellow Jackets a big service. A loss could have been damaging though.

The final weekend of the regular season is here and Georgia Tech is going to have another chance to boost their resume against No. 10 Florida State. With a series win here, the Yellow Jackets might have a firm grip on a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State is going to be a really tough opponent however and the series is going to be on the road. It is a really big weekend for Danny Hall’s team.

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Georgia

Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can’t ignore a few underdogs

Published

9 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can’t ignore a few underdogs

Georgia football doesn’t present as having much weakness, but Bulldogs’ schedule is loaded with Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Ohio State boasts an impressive roster, but Buckeyes will transition to new starting quarterback Will Howard.
Will Georgia even win the SEC? Texas’ arrival makes the conference even tougher.

Either Georgia or Ohio State will be preseason No. 1. But just how heavily are those teams favored to win the national championship?

The SEC will be even more of a juggernaut than usual, following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia’s schedule will include games against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. That’s a rugged road before the playoff arrives. Ohio State is loaded but will transition to a new starting quarterback.

On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider this question: If you were predicting the national champion and could either take Georgia and Ohio State or the field, which would you choose?

It’s a tough question, because Georgia and Ohio State are deserving frontrunners, but navigating a 12-team playoff presents more potential pitfalls.

TOPPMEYER: Why 12-team College Football Playoff is blessing, curse for Tennessee, Florida, LSU

ADAMS: Looking for a college football dark horse? I’ve got one.

Here’s the analysis:

Toppmeyer: I’d take Georgia and Ohio State. Although I think as many as about 30 teams could be considered preseason playoff hopefuls, I only consider six to be serious national championship contenders: Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss and Alabama. My top three champion picks would be Georgia, Texas and Ohio State. So, if you’re giving me two of those three, I’m taking that duo over the field. Georgia lacks an obvious weakness. Ohio State will have a new quarterback, but starter Will Howard previously played well for Kansas State. If the Buckeyes are hitting their stride behind Howard come postseason, they’re plenty loaded elsewhere. I’d feel more confident in this pick if I could have Georgia and Texas rather than Georgia and Ohio State, but as long as I’m getting Georgia and another top-tier team, I’m taking that over the field.

[ WANT MORE OPINIONS FROM TOPPMEYER AND ADAMS? Sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter for exclusive columns delivered straight to your inbox ]

Adams: Give me the field. Georgia is really good, and quarterback Carson Beck will be a Heisman Trophy contender. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulldogs won a national championship. But, I don’t think this is Kirby Smart’s best squad, and there are other teams I like from the SEC, too, like Ole Miss and Texas. Ohio State doesn’t sweeten the pot enough. I don’t trust Ryan Day to navigate a 12-team playoff, and I’m made more skeptical of the Buckeyes because of the quarterback transition.

Later in the episode

– A look at John Calipari’s quest to build an NCAA Tournament roster in Year 1 at Arkansas. Calipari is considering an unusual strategy as he approaches this season.

Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered

Apple

Spotify

iHeart

Google

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

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Georgia

Altoona woman claims to be victim in theft by deception case based in Georgia

Published

16 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Altoona woman claims to be victim in theft by deception case based in Georgia

ALTOONA, Wis. (WEAU) – Altoona woman claims to be a victim in a theft by deception case

More than 300 people across 25 states and even Australia, gave irreplaceable mementos to a woman in Georgia and never got them back and one woman in Altoona claims to be a victim.

Kearston Thibedeau said that she bought a custom ring made of her breastmilk from a business called Romeo and Juliette Keepsakes. The owner of the business was arrested. Police are recommending charges of theft by deception.

“It’s tough because you don’t know who to trust,” said Thibedeau.

Georgia investigators are recommending charges against 32-year-old Destiny Magoon for theft by deception.

The sheriff’s office in Georgia says Magoon operated a telemarketing business that offered to create mementos for people.

They say customers mailed items to her such as breastmilk, hair, and ashes…but never received the finished product.

“My daughter was born in July of ‘21 and I joined a Facebook group for moms who had babies the same month that I did. And somebody had posted something in there about breast milk jewelry. And I was very interested,” said Thibedeau.

She says her breastmilk was special to her because of how it bonded her to her child.

“It was something I had my heart set on. My daughter beastfed for two full years and it was where she wouldn’t take a bottle at daycare, so it was just something that I had to work extra hard at.”

She said she ordered the ring in December of 2022 and she still didn’t receive it by May of this year.

“I knew she was busy and I knew she was getting more orders,” she said. “But then later last year is kind of when it started to get weird, she started posting things about her business having issues. I reached out to her and never heard anything. I emailed a couple different emails and then they started coming back as undeliverable. So then a lady from Facebook messaged me and asked if I had ever received my ring and I told her no.”

The woman told her to join a Facebook group where hundreds of other woman went through the same ordeal. Now Thibedeau looks to move forward even though she has lost her trust.

“I thought it was the last of my breast milk and I ended up finding another bag in the freezer kind of tucked away back. So if I wanted to order another one from somebody else, I could. I just don’t know if I trust anybody else to take the last of my breast milk and maybe transform it into something special.”

Washington County deputies are working hard to sort through the hundreds of irreplaceable items that the victims sent to the business and they said it could be weeks before items are returned.

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