A Republican lawmaker's decision regarding the Georgia's pro-Trump Election Board members leaves a "gaping hole" in the battleground state ahead of the 2024 presidential election, political commentators warned Friday.
Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr shocked analysts with his opinion, released Friday, that Gov. Brian Kemp is not required to investigate board members accused of taking unethical action.
In his ruling, Carr wrote, "the phrase '[u]pon formal charges being filed' should not be interpreted to mean that a citizen can simply submit information to the Governor and trigger the hearing process contemplated by the Code Section."
Among those outraged by this analysis was Max Flugrath, the communications director for Fair Fight Action, the Georgia political organization that positions itself against voter suppression.
"Georiga [sic] law is clear, Kemp has the responsibility," Flugrath wrote on X. "The AG's opinion leaves a gaping hole where accountability should lie."
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Flugrath pointed to Georgia law that allows the state's governor to conduct a hearing on formal charges raised against Election Board members.
"If such charges are found to be true, the Governor shall forthwith remove such member from office," Georgia Code § 45-10-4, according to Flugrath.
Former ethics czar Norm Eisen agreed with Flugrath's analysis and called the ruling a "shocking abdication of responsibility."
Eisen said, "Leadership is stepping up and dealing with illegality, not burying your head in the sand."
Carr's decision comes after multiple Georgia Democrats called on Kemp to remove three Republicans from board over a series of controversial rules okayed just months ahead of the presidential election, CNN reported.
"The Democrats lodging complaints also took issue with partisan activity that some of the board members engaged in," CNN reported, "as well as their decision to hold a board meeting without the chair of the board or the Democrat on the board present."
