WATCH: State lawmakers across Georgia held a press conference after Dooley relented to their demands for an independent investigation into Centegix and state contracts
Demand for investigation follows alarming recent report of possible corruption and pay-to-play politics
Today, a group of state lawmakers from across Georgia held a virtual press call upping the pressure on Gov. Brian Kemp to open an independent investigation during this month’s special session to answer questions about a campaign funding scandal after GOP U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley relented to state lawmakers and agreed with their demands for transparency.
As Dooley attempts to campaign as a “political outsider” in the contested GOP runoff, his agreement to an independent investigation is the latest development following 11Alive reporting found that the Dooley family company received tens of millions of Georgia taxpayer dollars that Governor Kemp’s administration lined up, while the Dooley family poured over $100,000 into Kemp’s PAC, which he then used to boost Derek Dooley’s U.S. Senate campaign.
“Kemp’s handpicked GOP US Senate candidate Derek Dooley relented to [our] demands and said he is ‘absolutely’ open to an investigation amid claims of pay to play politics,” said Rep. Shea Roberts. “Now we need to hear from Governor Brian Kemp. Where does he stand? Does he agree with his handpicked candidate that there should be an independent investigation into Centegix and state contracts?”
“Under pressure in an interview with Atlanta News First this past Sunday, Dooley claimed ‘there’s zero contracts, state contracts that my brother’s company has with the state of Georgia’,” said Sen. RaShaun Kemp. “But here’s the truth. State records show that is absolutely false […] With less than five days until the runoff election, it’s even more important that Georgians get the truth about this situation as soon as possible.”
“Derek Dooley has attacked his opponents in the GOP Senate primary for being career politicians and made it clear that he is not like them, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Rep. Karlton Howard. “We still have unanswered questions about a potential pay to play political scheme that is all too similar to the political insiders he claims not to be.”
“The bottom line is that Georgia deserves better than this,” said Rep. Floyd Griffin. “They deserve a United States Senator that will always put what’s best for them over anything else. They deserve a United States Senator who rejects pay to play politics. They deserve a United States Senator who won’t outright lie to their faces without answers. How can Georgia trust Derek Dooley?”