ONE YEAR AGO: Perdue’s Secretive “Boardroom” of Donors Meets — While Perdue Still Won’t Meet with Constituents in a Town Hall

Reporting previously showed Perdue put “Boardroom” of donors ahead of Senate duties, meeting with them instead of attending a key hearing on military housing conditions

ATLANTA —  One year ago today, Senator David Perdue held another meeting with his wealthy “Boardroom” of donors — while still refusing to hold a single town hall for his Georgia constituents. 

Throughout his time in office, Perdue has continued to put his wealthy donors first, including when he skipped a critical oversight hearing focused on the poor housing conditions facing military families at facilities like Georgia’s Fort Benning to attend a high-dollar “Boardroom” donor event instead. In fact, Perdue was the only member of the sub-committee to flake on his senatorial responsibilities while he met with his secretive “Boardroom.” 

Yet through it all, Perdue still won’t hold a public town hall with his constituents, instead claiming they “aren’t his style” while his opponent Jon Ossoff is holding weekly virtual town halls to answer Georgians’ questions.

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11Alive: Sen. Perdue attends donor event, skips hearing on military families

• This year’s election is expected to be the most expensive in history. And it spotlights a Georgia candidate – US Senator David Perdue (R-Georgia) – who skipped a Senate subcommittee meeting and attended a donor event instead.

• To get yearly donations from high-dollar supporters, Perdue formed what he calls “the Boardroom,” as disclosed by the Center for Public Integrity. 

• [UGA Professor Charles Bullock said] such donors are “buying access. So, you can have face time with the legislator. Or when you call the office, the receptionist puts you through to the legislator. That’s what you’re paying for if you’re a big-dollar donor.”

• Last year, Perdue had a “Boardroom” meeting scheduled with his biggest donors near the US Capitol Feb. 13 – on what turned out to be a busy workday for senators.

• That afternoon, a Senate Armed Services subcommittee held a sometimes-contentious hearing on a thorny issue over substandard military housing at Georgia’s Ft. Benning and other facilities nationwide.

• Perdue is a member of the subcommittee, but he missed the three hour meeting, according to a transcript.  Nineteen senators attended the hearing. Perdue was the only subcommittee member absent.

• The “boardroom” meeting with campaign donors started at 4 p.m. Perdue joined them while the senate subcommittee hearing continued, in his absence, a few blocks away.

• “Missing a committee or subcommittee meeting that directly impacts your constituency – for a fundraiser? Probably not a smart idea,” Bullock said.

• Perdue’s office released a statement saying the senator “has taken strong action to improve military housing at bases in Georgia,” but didn’t address his scheduling on Feb. 13, 2019.

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