Today, state legislative leaders came together to demand that Rick Jackson disclose his taxpayer-funded contracts. This follows bombshell new investigative reporting from 11Alive revealing that Jackson just secretly extended one of his companies’ multimillion dollar state contracts into 2027 – six months into the start of the next governor’s term – despite promising Georgians the week prior that he would unwind his state contracts if he’s elected.
State Senator RaShaun Kemp, State Representative Michelle Au and State Representative Shea Roberts called out Jackson’s extensive self-dealing on the backs of Georgia taxpayers. Jackson’s conflicts of interest are especially brazen given that Jackson has taken in over a billion dollars in state healthcare contracts – much of it in the form of no-bid agreements. This follows Keisha Lance Bottoms calling on Jackson to disclose his taxpayer-funded state contracts on Wednesday.
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE:
Here’s what they had to say about Jackson’s secrecy around his taxpayer-funded state contracts and why he needs to immediately disclose these agreements:
Senator RaShaun Kemp: “We’re here today to call on Rick Jackson to disclose all of his taxpayer-funded government contracts. […] I want to point out that it took investigative reporting for Slick Rick to be caught secretly extending this multi-million dollar contract. So in no way do we trust him. How much money is he making off Georgians, and what else is he hiding? That’s exactly why Rick Jackson needs to come clean and let Georgia know just how much money he’s making on the backs of our families.”
Representative Michelle Au: “ I don’t think it’s plausible to say that someone could stand in front of a bank of TV cameras and say, ‘I will not do any business with the state,’ having signed in ink on paper his signature to a contract with the state that extends six months into the next governor’s term, right? […] But he certainly could have disclosed it at the time, and he did not. He’s an adult. He’s a businessman. He knows how contracts work, and that I think is a real omission of fact, and it shows his judgment and character.”
Representative Shea Roberts: “I would like to hone in on something Rick Jackson said at his press conference the other day. Speaking with reporters, he said he doesn’t want even an ‘appearance of impropriety’ when it comes to his extensive state contracts. Well, there’s way more of an appearance. There’s a flashing red warning light. Rick Jackson’s business dealings with the state are a conflict of interest palooza. We only learned about this nearly 18 million dollar contract with the state because of investigative reporting over at 11 Alive. What else is out there? What else is Rick Jackson hiding? He signed the state contract just last month when he was the confirmed Republican nominee for governor. He sure didn’t bring it up on the campaign trail. He sure didn’t want to tell us about it.”
According to 11Alive investigative reporting, Jackson’s healthcare staffing company LocumTenens extended its contract with the Georgia Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities through June 30, 2027. This contract, originating in FY22, has netted Jackson nearly $18 million – and $5 million in just the past year alone. Overall, Jackson has made nearly a billion dollars in taxpayer-funded, no-bid contracts – entanglements that 11Alive’s Doug Richards noted earlier this week might make things “a lot more complicated” if Jackson is elected in November.
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