More than two months since one of the nastiest GOP gubernatorial primaries in Georgia history, Burt Jones and Rick Jackson can’t stop airing out their dirty laundry. New reporting from NOTUS this week shed light on Burt Jones turning down a high-profile ambassadorship directly from Donald Trump because he straight-up refuses to endorse Rick Jackson. The AJC added that Jones is “pour[ing] cold water” on any reconciliation with Jackson.
This back-and-forth further exposes just how deeply divided the Georgia GOP is, especially in light of recent AJC reporting showing that Jackson personally paid off someone right before they endorsed his campaign. This comes amidst a very bad series of news cycles for Jackson, which have exposed his recent extension of a state contract, a lawsuit alleging his company trafficked nurses, and remarks caught on camera dismissing Georgians’ concerns about losing their health insurance.
“The Georgia GOP is deeply divided. Burt Jones is still refusing to endorse Rick Jackson months after the primary, and not even Donald Trump can change his mind,” said Democratic Party of Georgia spokesperson Jake Strickland. “Turns out all the money in the world can’t buy Slick Rick a winning coalition heading into November.”
On Wednesday, NOTUS’ Ben T.N. Mause broke the story. A few key excerpts:
- “President Donald Trump had offered to make the Georgia lieutenant governor the ambassador to one of Europe’s largest countries — an extravagant, if common, consolation for a Republican rebounding from a primary loss. But Trump wanted something in exchange for the new gig: for Jones to endorse Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for governor, people familiar with the conversations told NOTUS.”
- “Because Jones has been unwilling to acquiesce, the appointment is in doubt, those sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail private deliberations.”
- “Jackson and Jones met a few weeks ago at Trump’s urging, according to a person familiar with the dynamics, with the president hoping they could overcome Jones’ anger to resolve their differences. The person added that the meeting was cold and unproductive.”
- “Jones’ camp, the people familiar said, has their own demand for any potential endorsement of Jackson: a lawsuit settlement valued around $25 million. The pair traded lawsuits during the primary. Jones’ family’s gas company sued Jackson for defamation in June. The suit accused Jackson of using the company’s branding to make false claims about Jones. It sought $100 million in damages.”
- “The wounds from the scorched-earth Republican primary between billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones have not healed.”
- “Jones rejected a Washington news outlet’s report that President Donald Trump offered to make him U.S. ambassador to Germany in exchange for endorsing Jackson in the general election against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms. But he also made clear the feud is very much alive.”
- “‘I’m open for discussion but it’s their move to make, to have a genuine conversation about it,’ Jones said in an interview early Wednesday. ‘Let’s not forget they filed a defamation lawsuit against me.’”
- “The two former rivals met privately a few weeks ago in Middle Georgia at Trump’s urging. Jackson has described the session as a ‘great conversation’ and said both were focused on defeating Bottoms. Jones gave the AJC a decidedly cooler assessment: ‘It was small talk.’”
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