ATLANTA, Georgia – Republican and declared Georgia gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones on Wednesday called on the federal government – and not State Attorney General Chris Carr – to investigate new claims of ballot harvesting during the 2020 election.
This, even though Jones and others allege that certain, unnamed individuals in Georgia broke state laws – and not federal ones.
Jones delivered the message at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol.
“The reason I am asking the federal government to investigate this is because it is clear and it is obvious that the attorney general recently endorsed the governor of this state, Brian Kemp, and embraced his position and denial of election fraud,” Jones said.
“And this is going to be the very person who will investigate whether or not something took place. He [Carr] compromised his independence by endorsing the governor. I would like to see a federal investigation to examine what happened.”
Georgia authorities are investigating an allegation of systematic ballot harvesting during the state’s 2020 general election and subsequent U.S. Senate runoff, according to Just the News. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the publication that state government officials may issue subpoenas in the case to secure evidence.
Many Justice Department officials were appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden. The Georgia Star News asked Jones why he believes federal officials would investigate claims of ballot harvesting in a state that Biden won.
“Because I think and hope that the Republicans in the United States Congress, in both the House and the Senate, make it known to President Biden and to Attorney General [Merrick]Garland,” Jones said.
“He can come out and intimidate mama bears and papa bears who want to have input in their child’s education at school. Why would he get involved in something like this that is totally bipartisan? It’s for all voters. They should want to be involved if they support free, fair, and transparent elections.”
At the press conference, Jones said he had documented at least one instance of a drop box location not on public or municipal property, which violates Georgia law. After the conference ended, Jones walked to Raffensperger’s office to file an official complaint.
Jones, a Democrat-turned-Republican and political ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, declared his candidacy for governor in April. At the time, Jones said Kemp’s job performance, especially when it comes to ensuring “a free, fair, and transparent election,” has fallen short.
According to Ballotpedia, Jones served in the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat between 2017 until January of this year. He left the Democratic Party in 2021.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
