The state of Georgia is suing the Department of Justice in an effort to “compel compliance” regarding a records request over the communications on the state’s election law with left-leaning activist groups.
State Attorney General Christopher Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger argued in the lawsuit that the Justice Department’s refusal to comply with the records request denies the public information to decide if the DOJ is “colluding or conspiring with outside entities to carry out a political agenda.”
I will always fight for truth and integrity in Georgia’s elections.https://t.co/xWPbvUV5xm
— GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (@GaSecofState) December 1, 2021
Fox News reports:
The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, stresses the importance of DOJ records “to answer a question of national significance.”
“To what extent did DOJ coordinate with outside entities when it decided to bring a lawsuit against Georgia, but not other states with similar voting laws, under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act?” the lawsuit states. “The answer to that question will help clarify the extent to which DOJ is pursuing a transparent political agenda in its lawsuit against Georgia.”
In August, Georgia submitted a FOIA request to the Justice Department, requesting all communications discussing SB 202—the state’s new election law—since Nov. 3, 2020, between DOJ officials and a list of nearly 5 dozen entities and individuals, including Stacey Abrams, her organization Fair Fight, Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU.
The FOIA also requested communications between DOJ officials and members of Congress or their staff related to the state’s election law, as well as “all internal guidance documents” that the Justice Department used to determine when a provision of a state’s election law violates the Voting Rights Act.
Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger slammed the Biden administration for “stonewalling” the request, noting that the request was filed more than 90 days ago and was initially told a response would be given within 20 days. During an interview with Fox News, Raffensperger reiterated the need to know who is pushing the politicized lawsuit.
