The Georgia state Senate has launched an investigation into former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and the New Georgia Project, a voting rights organization she founded, following the group’s admission of multiple campaign finance violations.
The probe, steered by a Republican-led Senate panel, will examine the organization’s financial dealings and potential links between Abrams and the nonprofit.
The investigation comes after the New Georgia Project agreed in January to pay a $300,000 fine for violating 16 campaign finance laws. The infractions included improperly aiding Abrams’ unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial campaign.
The organization’s admission of wrongdoing has prompted renewed scrutiny of its operations and governance, leading to calls for greater transparency from state lawmakers.
The Senate Special Committee on Investigations, which has also been reviewing the conduct of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her prosecution of President Donald Trump, will oversee the inquiry per AtlantaNewsFirst.
The panel is expected to assess whether Abrams had any direct involvement in the nonprofit’s financial activities and examine the circumstances surrounding the organization’s recent staff firings, which some former employees claim were tied to unionization efforts. Francys Johnson, chair of the New Georgia Project, announced earlier this week that he intends to step down from his role, though he has not yet set a resignation date.
The timing of Johnson’s departure has fueled speculation about internal turmoil within the organization as it navigates legal and political challenges. The investigation was initiated through a resolution introduced in the Georgia state Senate, authorizing the panel to further explore the nonprofit’s financial and operational aspects.
Republican lawmakers pushing for the probe have cited the substantial fines levied against the New Georgia Project as justification for additional oversight.
“Not only have I served longer than both my predecessors, the organization must retool following last year’s election,” Johnson stated, according to ANF. “In two years, Georgia will elect a new governor and make a choice on whether to send Sen. Jon Ossoff back to the U.S. Senate. It’s a great time to bring in fresh perspectives.”
Abrams, a former Democratic state lawmaker and two-time candidate for Georgia governor, has distanced herself from the nonprofit in recent years as her political opponents have continued to scrutinize her ties to the group. The investigation is expected to unfold over the coming months, adding to the broader political battles over election integrity and campaign finance transparency in Georgia.
Abrams previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017 and was the minority leader from 2011 to 2017. She gained national attention in 2018 when she ran for governor of the state, narrowly losing to Republican Brian Kemp in a hotly contested race that raised issues of voter suppression.
State Sen. Bill Cowsert, a Republican from Athens, introduced the resolution that would grant the Senate Special Committee on Investigations the authority to examine the activities of the New Georgia Project and Power Forward Communities.
Power Forward Communities, an organization with connections to Abrams, was awarded a $2 billion grant under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, according to The Center Square.. The legislation passed by Democrats in Congress allocated $891 billion toward climate and energy initiatives, among other priorities.
The resolution states that the investigation is warranted “to determine if any link exists between organizations receiving federal funds and political activities occurring within the State of Georgia, such as the alleged and admitted conduct by multiple organizations associated with Stacey Abrams, and whether additional state law or enforcement tools are necessary to address such illegal coordination and misuse of public funds.”
Yet another investigation costing loads and where no one will be held to account.