ATLANTA — It's the biggest mystery in Georgia politics right now: who's paying for the attacks on the Republican lieutenant governor. Bert Jones?
Someone operating under the name “Georgians for Integrity” invested about $5 million in television advertisingmail programs and texts. Jones, who already has a president, is to blame for the attacks. Support for Donald Trump By running for governor the following year, he used his office to enrich himself.
For any Georgian who decides to watch a football game, advertising has become almost inevitable after Thanksgiving. They represent the first chance in a public battle for the Republican nomination, which will be decided in the primary election in May. But the ad also shows how dark money influences politics not only nationally but also in the states, with secret interests spending large sums of money in an effort to change public opinion.
Jones' campaign is going crazy, threatening legal action against television stations if they don't stop airing ads that the lawyer calls “patently false” and defamatory.
For now, the advertisement remains on air.
“They want to be anonymous, spend a lot of money and create a lot of lies about me and my family,” Jones. told WSB-AM in an interview on December 16, calling the ad “manufactured garbage.”
Prosecutor General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad RaffenspergerJones's main rivals for the Republican nomination say they were not involved in the attacks. All three are seeking to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who cannot run again due to term limits. There are also several Democrats vying for the state's top office.
Georgia Republican Party filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission. The GOP claims the ads violate Georgia's campaign finance law, which prohibits spending money on elections without registering and disclosing donors.
“I think there are far-reaching consequences for this activity to continue unchecked,” state GOP Chairman Josh McKoon told The Associated Press. “And the consequences are much broader than the results of the May primaries.”
This is another filtering of a 2010 US Supreme Court decision. Citizens United Solutionleading to a sharp increase in independent spending in U.S. elections, said Shanna Ports, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C., 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 in the early stages,” Ports said.
Claims that Jones was involved in self-dealing behavior are nothing new. make similar attacks for several months. But the situation escalated after Georgians for Integrity incorporated in Delaware on Nov. 24, according to state corporation records. The organization identifies itself as a social welfare nonprofit under the federal tax code, a popular way of organizing campaign spending that allows the group to hide its donors.
Jones' campaign says the ad falsely leads viewers to believe Jones allowed the government to take land through eminent domain to bolster his family's interest in a massive data center development in Jones' home county south of Atlanta. As a state senator, Jones voted for a 2017 law that created a narrow exception in Georgia law prohibiting governments from transferring property seized during condemnation proceedings to private developers. But eminent domain is not being used to develop a $10 billion project that government documents The show could include 11 million square feet (1 million square meters) of data centers.
In some documents provided to television stations, Georgians for Integrity lists its local address as a post office box at an office supply store on the east side of Atlanta. The documents also list a media buyer named Alex Roberts with an address in Park City, Utah, but he did not respond to an email from the AP. The articles of incorporation also do not list an attorney for Kimberly Land of Columbus, Ohio. After weeks of heavy spending, it was still not possible to prove who provided the money.
The GOP maintains that Georgians for Integrity is an independent committee under Georgia law. This means it can raise and spend unlimited amounts, but must register before accepting donations and must disclose its donors.
But that law defines such committees as expending “funds either for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election for any elective office or for supporting the election or defeat of any particular candidate.” And the ads targeting Jones never name him a candidate for governor or mention the 2026 election, instead urging viewers to call Jones and, “Tell Bert to stop profiting off taxpayers.”
But McKoon said these are “games of meaning” and that ordinary voters would definitely think the ads are meant to influence them.
“If you are funding a message intended to influence an election (and I think it is credible to say that in this case it is not), then you should comply with the campaign finance laws that the Legislature has seen fit to enact,” McKoon said.
