from the good folks at Better Georgia:
Gov. Nathan Deal is no stranger to ethics investigations.
In fact, he’s earned the nickname “Teflon Deal” for his ability to duck responsibility for his unethical conduct as a Congressman and as Governor.
But Gov. Nathan Deal’s ethics problems just got much, much more serious.
New reports reveal the FBI and a federal grand jury want to examine documents and witnesses related to Gov. Deal’s ethics violations and an alleged cover-up at the state ethics commission.
WSB-TV and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are reporting that at least five current and former state ethics officials have been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury.
Make no mistake; this is no longer an ethics investigation.
This is a criminal investigation.
The governor and his team want you to believe this is nothing more than an intra-office skirmish. They want you to believe that because Gov. Deal paid a small fine this is now a “closed” investigation. They want you to believe there’s nothing more to discover.
But we’re not fooled.
We know the governor has financial documents he’s worked hard to keep hidden for the past three years.
We know current and former ethics commission employees have accused Gov. Deal’s hand-picked ethics chief of ordering documents removed from the governor’s ethics file while an ethics probe was ongoing.
Background:
- Deal recruited new ethics chief as probe of his campaign heated up
- Gov. Deal denies tampering in ethics probe
- FBI questions ethics lawyer at center of Deal complaint
- Ethics commission calls for special investigation
- Ethics commission votes — again — for investigation
- FBI subpoenas at least 5 current and former state ethics officials
The FBI and federal grand juries have far more important things to do than worry about disagreements among office employees.
No, the FBI and federal grand juries investigate criminal activity. Period.
It’s insulting for the governor to claim that an investigation sparked by his own campaign mistakes has nothing to do with him.
Georgians simply don’t believe Gov. Deal’s lies any more.
If there is nothing to hide, Gov. Deal could have shared these documents months ago.
Or, he could share the documents today.
Instead of fighting every single attempt at an independent investigation, Gov. Deal could simply come clean.
Take Action.
Tell him to come clean today.
Sincerely,
Executive Director
Better Georgia
P.S. Calling will make a difference. No matter how Gov. Deal responds, we will be able to say he knows exactly what voters want. We’ve provided a script and a feedback form. Call now.