Deep in my heart, I truly hope the Biden campaign selects the stealin' the children, land & vote spokestoken, Stacey Abrams, to be his Vice Presidential Candidate, just because it will spotlight her life of selling her soul for a bottomless bucket of fried chicken to bleachbit my Sweetie's legacy.
The GBI has opened an investigation of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and his use of a nonprofit to funnel at least $140,000 in city of Atlanta funds to supplement his salary, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News have learned.
The criminal investigation comes at a time when Howard, Fulton’s DA since 1997, is being challenged in the Democratic primary for reelection and is facing allegations of sexual harassment, which he strongly denies.
In a statement issued Monday, Howard predicted he will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
“This is not the first time what would be considered as an administrative matter for other Georgia elected officials is turned over to the GBI for investigation when it involves the Fulton County district attorney,” he said.
This was in reference to the agency’s 2014 investigation of Howard’s use of money forfeited by criminals to pay for galas and dinners for his staff and their families.In that GBI probe, prompted by media reports, “I was totally exonerated,” Howard said.
As for the ongoing investigation, he said, “(I)f the facts are followed, it is my expectation that the result will be exactly the same.”
Howard said the timing of this investigation, weeks away from the June 9 primary, “is not lost on me.”
Howard is also facing a state ethics complaint for not disclosing he was a chief executive of the nonprofit, People Partnering for Progress, in personal financial statements.
On April 15, the Georgia Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission charged Howard with a dozen disclosure violations, most of them involving PPP.The GBI probe and the ethics complaint followed a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News about discrepancies between financial disclosures Howard filed with the state and tax filings submitted to the IRS by the nonprofit he heads as CEO.
This week, GBI agents were scheduled to visit Atlanta tax attorney Raymond Carpenter to review PPP’s records, Carpenter said.
For years, Carpenter, a longtime friend of Howard’s, has served as the nonprofit’s chief financial officer.The GBI was asked by the state Attorney General’s Office to conduct the investigation of Howard, agency spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
“At this point, that’s all we can say.”Katie Byrd, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Chris Carr, confirmed that was the case but declined further comment.Former DeKalb District Attorney Bob Wilson said he finds the investigation troubling.
“When you become the controversy, there’s a problem,” said Wilson, now a private attorney in Decatur. “I think a criminal investigation of a district attorney — that is a very sad state of affairs.”
A criminal probe of the prosecutor who heads Georgia’s largest and busiest district attorney’s office is highly unusual.
But so was Howard’s decision to use PPP as a conduit to pad his salary by at least $170,000 from 2014 through 2017, according to tax records and the nonprofit’s own documents. (Howard’s annual salary, paid by the state and supplemented by the county, is roughly $175,000.)
Howard initially sought an $81,259 salary supplement from the city of Atlanta in a May 2014 letter he sent to then-Mayor Kasim Reed.
At that time, Howard wrote, nine other DAs around the state were earning more than he was.
Howard did not get that annual supplement, but the city did present him with $125,000 checks in each of the next two years.
In a previous statement, Howard said Reed tied the money to Howard’s efforts to address repeat criminal offenders and expand his community prosecutors’ program.
When contacted Monday, Reed said he had no comment.It’s unclear whether the city knew how much of the $250,000 would go to Howard because he paid himself differing amounts from year to year.
In 2015, he took in $50,000, then $20,000 in 2016 and $70,000 in 2017, the nonprofit’s tax filings show.PPP’s most recent tax filing in 2018 did not disclose whether Howard received additional funds.
Nonprofits do not have to provide detailed financial information for a year in which they collect less than $50,000 in contributions, which was the case for PPP that year.
On April 13, the AJC and Channel 2 filed an Open Records Act request with the city to determine how the funds were transferred to Howard and for documents relating to it.
But City Hall, shut down because of the pandemic, has yet to produce the records.In a statement issued last month, Howard said he deposited the city’s checks into the nonprofit’s account and then received checks to supplement his salary.
The arrangement is open to question because state law says only counties can supplement a district attorney’s state pay.
In his statement, Howard said he tasked one of his former appellate attorneys to determine whether he could receive supplements from the city.
He also provided a memo in which the attorney said there was no law prohibiting it.
But the July 2014 memo did not address the legality of Howard using a nonprofit to funnel city funds as a way to supplement his salary. PPP’s records say the nonprofit’s mission has been to reduce youth violence.In his prior statement, Howard said the money he received from the city through PPP “represents reasonable compensation.”
He also said that PPP’s involvement, through his supervision, in his office’s community prosecution program has been meaningful and had a positive impact.
Howard has been named in two sexual harassment complaints filed by county employees and another alleging gender discrimination.
During a recent virtual pre-election forum, his two opponents, former Fulton chief deputy DA Fani Willis and Atlanta lawyer Christian Wise Smith, criticized Howard for the harassment allegations.
Wilson, DeKalb’s DA from 1981 to 1992, said he chaired and worked with child advocacy and rape crisis center nonprofits while he was in office.
If a nonprofit can help victims of crime, it’s appropriate for a district attorney to be involved, he said.
At the same time, he added, “You would not undertake that with any idea of ever being paid.”Wilson said he never asked for a raise while he was district attorney.
“You know what the job is,” he said. “You know what it pays, and if that’s not good enough for you and your family then seek other employment.”
The New York Times possesses absolutely no legal authority to investigate a #MeToo allegation, silly!
Since you want to be the Vice Presidential Candidate for Joe Biden, because someone knows you will swiftly be elevated to be POTUS, yoy should really go ask Perkins Coie Sucks, or some of your other "Legal Geniuese" (trademark pending) over there at the DNC, to properly advise you before you open your mouth.
Do you seriously believe everything printed in the newspapers or are you and your staff so daft that you do not know how to engage current credible and reliable law enforcement authorities to lodge a formal request to exhaustively investigate the matter of Tara Reade, as a right of due process.
You should know that you cannot go around accusing someone of lying in the public record without allowing for her civil right to due process.
Just because you were, whether knowingly or willingly, part of the denial of due process for Member of Congress, does not mean you can tear up the #MeToo agenda just because it does not fit your political career aspirations.
Now, I know, I know, you are going to dismiss me just because this Act is only for the House, and does not apply to a former Senator who is running to be the leader of the free world, and all, but, you may want to take a few moments to put down your bucket of fried chicken your campaign purchased for you and read this.
Funny.
You believe Biden but not my Sweetie.
You suck, Stacey and you probably suck your PAC purchased fried chicken bones, too.
Hey Stacey!
Why not ask for Conyers' Ethics referrals to the DOJ.
You know Trump keeps obstructing justice by keeping those IG Reports in his backpocket.
That would definitely get you that coveted VP spot.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) on Tuesday night defended presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden when asked about sexual assault allegations from Tara Reade, a former Biden aide who has alleged that the then-senator sexually assaulted her in a secluded part of Capitol Hill in 1993.
"I believe that women deserve to be heard and I believe they need to be listened to, but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources," Abrams, who is said to be on the shortlist to be Biden's running mate, told CNN's Don Lemon.
"The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible," she added. "I believe Joe Biden."
The Times, in the report that Abrams referenced, said that the newspaper found "no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden" but didn't come to a conclusion on the credibility of Reade's allegations.
In 2019, Reade was one of several women who came forward and said that Biden’s public touching had made them uncomfortable.
Last month, she alleged for the first time that Biden had assaulted her. Lynda LaCasse, a former neighbor of Reade's, said earlier this week that she recalled Reade recounting the story of the alleged assault to her at the time. Reade’s brother, Collin Moulton, has previously said that she told him that Biden “had his hand under her clothes at some point.”
Reade said that she confronted other Biden aides about the alleged incident at the time, but the aides that she named have gone on the record saying that Reade never confronted them about the allegation. Reade also said she filed a complaint with the human resources office in the Senate about the allegations of inappropriate touching, though reporters to this point have failed to find the complaint. Reade said she believes that the complaint is in Biden's Senate archives at the University of Delaware, which has stated that it won't release the former vice president’s records until he has stepped away from public life.
Biden's campaign has vigorously denied Reade's allegations, but the former vice president has not addressed them.
“Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women,” deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield previously said to The Hill. “He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday also defended Biden, saying "when we say believe women, it’s for this explicit intention of making sure there’s space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard."
“And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done. She has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets," Gillibrand, a former presidential candidate who also called for then-Sen. Al Franken(D-Minn.) to resign in 2017 in the wake of a sexual harassment allegation, said.
"Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself," she added. "Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden.”
So, she was set up with what I love to call a trafficking tiny humans trust fund, which is co-mingled with lots of foreign trafficking tiny human trust funds.
Now, what that has to do with "The Poors" (always said with clinched teeth), I have no idea, but I thought it wise to review her glorious work in voting rights, which, of course, she has bastardized my Sweetie's legacy.
This is how they campaign, but win elections through fake absentee ballots, through land banks and its fake foreclosed properties, funded through TARP.
But, alas, they stole all the TARP, and are now implementing their latest and greatest TARP 5.0 stealin' the children, land & vote operation, called reparations, or, as I so fondly call it, the #coloredrevolution.
They want that money because they need to stay in power, for the heavens are falling.
Abrams became the nation's first African-American female to earn a major party's nomination for governor.
Good evening, Georgia. I stand here tonight grateful to the thousands of you who have joined me on this drive to history. We are writing the next chapter of Georgia’s future. Where no one is unseen, unheard or uninspired. A Georgia where we prosper – together!
I offer my congratulations to Stacey Evans and her campaign and all of her supporters tonight for a hard-fought race. And I know… for the journey that lies ahead, we need every voice in our party – and every independent thinker in the state of Georgia – energized, and by our side to succeed, so I hope you will join our fight for the future.
But our mission is about more than success at the ballot box in November. Our mission is to see beyond the challenges that face us, to create a Georgia where our dreams and aspirations become real and lasting legacies. A state of excellent schools, with jobs that create wealth and opportunity, and good leaders who stand up for all of us. Because that is why we are here. To ensure that all Georgians… from farmers in Montezuma… to mill workers in Dalton know we value them. That educators in Sparta and airport workers in College Park know we see their efforts. That former prisoners across our state working towards more know we believe in their redemption. We are here to ensure that everyone who calls Georgia home has the freedom and opportunity to thrive -- to live their very best lives!
I am a product of the power of that mission. I am the child of a shipyard worker and a college librarian, who were called to become United Methodist ministers. A proud daughter of the Deep South. I grew up the second of six children in a family where we struggled to stay above the poverty line, but we never struggled to know what was right or to believe in our possibilities. My parents instilled in us the core values of faith, family, service and responsibility. Hard work is in my bones.
So is a deep respect for those who wake up early and come home tired but ready to read to their kids - or change clothes for a second job. And all those who are just getting by or are doing well but worry for the next generation. A respect for those who care for their loved ones – or who have earned their rest and retirement. A respect for our service members, their families and veterans that call our state home. Our campaign, and our work, is for them and their security - as we shape the future of this state we love.
In this tough race to come, we can find it easy to forget about the solid ground beneath our feet. But we must remember we’re in the state where the red clay gives life to generations of dreamers. The state where Martin marched on ballot boxes and challenged a nation’s conscience. The Georgia that gave us the Godfather of Soul and the queen of the Met - and that sent a peanut farmer to the Oval Office.
Our state’s rich, complicated history courses through our memories on nights like tonight. When the unexpected becomes truth, it reminds us of who we are – how we’ve stumbled and how we’ve flourished– and it commands that we embrace our obligation to live up to Georgia’s tradition of pride and of promise, to remember our complex roots…
Together, we will shape a future with boundless belief and historic investment in our children at the core of every decision we make. That means affordable childcare for families and real pathways of opportunity from cradle to career. Because when all of Georgia’s children have a chance to reach their potential, regardless of their zip code or their family’s salary, we can reach our potential as a state – and unleash the full power of our people.
That’s why public schools must remain the beating heart of Georgia – to propel our young people toward lives of security, happiness and achievement. But even as I speak here tonight, public education is under assault in our state, with our kids and our educators being told to do more and more with less and less.
As the state’s ‘Public Education Governor,’ I will use every tool we have to ensure that we stop shortchanging our children – and sabotaging our futures. Our children deserve better than a basic education. They deserve excellence no matter where they learn; and, together, we will deliver.
We deserve an economy that works in all 159 counties, and gives Georgians the freedom to do more than just survive. We deserve a diverse and inclusive economy, one where everyone can succeed. That gap – between struggle and success – has too often been overlooked by our leaders.
Together, we will renew the respect for the dignity of work in every field, sector and region of Georgia. Including the staff right here in this hotel, who made tonight possible. Everybody wins when we choose to honor hard work with wages you can raise a family on. We can invite corporations to our communities, and at the same time, invest in the thousands of small businesses that keep our neighborhoods alive.
I will be a governor who brings more than jobs to Georgia – together, we can build career pipelines in renewable energy, spur creativity through a growing entertainment industry, and increase the strength of our trade unions to grow an economy that lifts every Georgian. We can build an economy as strong and diverse as our citizens. A state where we can give our people license to dream and the opportunity they deserve to achieve.
Across Georgia, we are ready for more. I was down in Macon a few months ago, where I met Pam, a proud mother about to send both of her daughters off to college. One wants to teach, the other wants to study criminology. The one who wanted to be a teacher was a few months away from giving birth to her own child. Pam understood that for her daughter to have a brighter future, she would spend the next four years raising her grandchild. A choice she made readily, because she dreamed of more for her girls. She is determined that both her girls pursue degrees she never received.
Then I asked Pam about her dreams – beyond her daughters, beyond her grandchild, what did she dream for herself. And, honestly, she looked at me like I was crazy. Finally, Pam told me she’d been a cashier at the Piggly Wiggly for twenty years, and that’s what she’d be doing for the rest of her life. So I asked again, what did she want for herself. She hesitated… and then told me that no one had ever asked her that. And finally she told me: ‘There’s a building down the road from my house in South Macon, and one day, I’d love to turn it into a daycare facility. To help young women like my daughter not have to give up on their dreams. Maybe even give them a new skill. And help kids get a head start.’
But, she told me, no one would ever loan her the money – because who was she to want so much? I’m running for governor because Georgia must invest in Pam, Inc. To see her dreams as vital and real and necessary and true. Because as excited as we may become when a Fortune 500 offers to come to Georgia, we can grow the Georgia 5000 by investing in our people and their solutions for our state. When they hire 10 more neighbors and serve a generation, we all rise.
With a governor who cares as much about Main Street, not only can Georgians like Pam succeed, but if we give them a chance… they can lift up their entire communities. When Pam and her daughters and her grandchild prosper – we are on our way to a future in Georgia that can inspire us all.
Together, we stand prepared to stand up for Georgians who believe they are in this alone. Single mothers sifting through mounting bills on the kitchen table… college grads battling against crushing loan payments that stand in the way of their ambition… Over the last decade, I’ve traveled to rural towns full of anxiety as the ground shifts beneath them… We all know families battling crippling debt - and the very fear that an illness or accident may wipe them out financially – as they try to keep their loved ones safe and cared for…
To these families, and all Georgians I say: I’m with you. I’ve been there. I’m still there. And I’ll never stop fighting for you. For Pam. For Georgia. I am running for you. Because your dreams matter to me – and we can do this better - together.
But we have work to do … in too many ways, Republican leaders have failed these folks. By being too mean and too cheap to expand Medicaid, by jeopardizing our rural hospitals for political gain, they’ve put millions of Georgia families at risk. We can do better than that. I want to lead Georgia because I know we can do more: we can protect our healthcare - and safeguard our kids’ education and their lives… Together, we can continue to fix our criminal justice system and begin to defend our Dreamers… Build the infrastructure that connects us to one another. Repeal campus carry and expand HOPE.
We can lead a stronger Georgia, a more compassionate Georgia, a bold and ambitious Georgia. We can show the old-guard something new – and fight together for the good of all. I want every Georgia family to have the freedom and opportunity to thrive. You deserve nothing less, and I know our Georgia can deliver.
But to claim our victory – to write that next chapter and live those best lives - we have a lot of work to do. We have to reach out to those who do not believe their voices matter. Who have been disappointed again and again by promises made and never kept. Who live in counties crushed by poverty and neglect. In suburbs isolated from jobs and opportunity and sometimes, each other. In cities where lack of affordability makes it harder and harder to stay. In the next six months, we will work together to remake our Georgia.
With your help, we will register every last person we know – and we will talk to Georgians from all walks of life to engage them too. Because our campaign will be a coalition that reaches across backgrounds, sharing our constant belief in our capacity to win. And with your hands knocking and your feet walking and your voices speaking out, every Georgian we touch will understand the value and immense power of the vote.
Inaction can be contagious… but so can a passion for change. From our campuses to our neighborhood blocks to our senior centers, a wave is coming – and I know Georgians won’t stand on the sidelines.
In the Book of Esther, there’s a verse that reminds us we are born for such a time as this. A time to defend our values and protect the vulnerable – stand in the gap and lead the way. A time to know that this democracy only works – when we work for it. That is what we have done tonight and that is what we will continue to do – all the way to victory in November.
Because we know the power of the possible in Georgia. A Georgia that elected Shirley Clarke Franklin and Brenda Lopez and Jason Esteves and Keisha Lance Bottoms and Melanie Hammett and Sam Park. A Georgia that sees diversity as our strength and acceptance as our birthright.
That’s why when I ask for your vote—I’m really asking you to vote for yourself. For the people you know and love, the ones you work beside and worship with. For the Georgians you may never know, but whose fate is undeniably tied to your own. These are the people on my mind tonight. And that’s who will be on my mind every day as I go to work for you as your next Governor.
So tonight, we celebrate… we rejoice and say thank you to all who got us this far… and tomorrow we hit the phones, the doors, and the streets to reach every Georgian with our message. This - is our time to build a Georgia where everyone has the freedom and opportunity to thrive… because our best lives are within reach. This is our moment, and this is our chance to lift up Georgia! And if we fight, if we push, if we work, we will win!
