ATLANTA (AP) — The new director of Georgia’s state ethics commission said he plans to subpoena bank records from Democrat Stacey Abrams’ nationally watched but unsuccessful 2018 campaign for governor.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that David Emadi, just days into his new posting, said Thursday that he expects the commission to soon issue subpoenas of Abrams and political groups that raised money to back her.
Emadi, who donated $600 to Republican Brian Kemp’s successful gubernatorial campaign and is a former officer in the Douglas County Republican Party, did not discuss specifics of the investigation or say what potential campaign finance violations were suspected.
“What I can say about the investigation into the Abrams campaign is, in the relatively near future, I expect we will be issuing subpoenas for bank and finance records of both Miss Abrams and various PACs and special-interest groups that were affiliated with her campaign,” Emadi said, according to the newspaper.
Abrams’ former campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, said the campaign worked to comply with the law and accused Emadi of launching a partisan attack.
“The Abrams campaign worked diligently to ensure compliance throughout the election and, had we been notified of any irregularities, would have immediately taken action to rectify them,” Groh-Wargo told the newspaper. She said Emadi “is using his power to threaten and lob baseless partisan accusations at the former Abrams campaign.”
The commission is tasked with collecting campaign contribution and personal finance disclosure reports and investigating potential violations.
Emadi pledged to be a “neutral arbiter.”
Abrams’ campaign raised a record $27.6 million during her run.
