(PresidentialInsider.com)- The state of Georgia is suing the Department of Justice to “compel compliance” with their request for communications and records involving officials with the DOJ and lawmakers and groups that are left-leaning.
The records in question all revolve around Georgia’s newly-passed election law. Officials with the state are saying that the DOJ isn’t responding, and that is depriving the public of having access to information to determine whether the DOJ is “colluding or conspiring with outside entities to carry out a political agenda.”
The legal action is being led by Brad Raffensperger, the state’s secretary of state, and Christopher Carr, the state’s attorney general. It was filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, and stresses how important the records the DOJ has “to answer a question of national significance.”
The lawsuit reads:
“To what extent did DOJ coordinate with outside entities when it decided to bring a lawsuit against Georgia, but not other states with similar voting laws, under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act? The answer to that question will help clarify the extent to which DOJ is pursuing a transparent political agenda in its lawsuit against Georgia.”
Back in August, the state filed a FOIA request to the DOJ that requested that all communications that discussed the election law in Georgia between officials at the DOJ and almost 60 other individuals and entities.
Some of those people and entities include the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as former state gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and her Fair Fight organization.
Georgia also requested all communications that happened between officials with the DOJ and any member of Congress or their staff that was related to their election law. In addition, they want “all internal guidance documents” the DOJ used to determine when a provision of Georgia’s law would violate the Voting Rights Act.
As the lawsuit says:
“By failing to respond to the request, DOJ is depriving Plaintiffs and the public of vital information needed to determine whether the Government is colluding or conspiring with outside entities to carry out a political agenda.”
Raffensperger himself said that he “does not know why the Biden administration is stonewalling” Georgia’s request. He told Fox News:
“But we think the people deserve to know who is pulling the strings behind their politicized lawsuit,” saying Georgia has been “more than fair and patient. It has been over 90 calendar days since our request, and they were supposed to have something back to us within 20 days.
“We want to know what type of contacts they’ve had with Stacey Abrams and other organizations, and who is pulling the strings — who is pushing this politicized lawsuit.”
Part of Georgia’s new law requires people to present a voter ID if they want an absentee ballot, rather than just matching people’s signatures. There are also limits on drop boxes and where they can be placed.
