We haven’t seen much about Stacey Abrams in the news lately, which to be quite honest has been kind of nice.
But on Wednesday, we learned that a Georgia non-profit that she founded in 2013 and an affiliated group made an admission that resolved a near-six year dispute, a resolution that has put her back in the spotlight along with her fellow Peach State Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the New Georgia Project and the New Georgia Project Action Fund have been fined $300,000 by the State Ethics Commission after they “admitted to 16 violations of state campaign finance laws” related to Abrams’ failed 2018 gubernatorial campaign and other failed Democratic campaigns for state-level offices:
A voting rights group founded by Stacey Abrams will pay $300,000 for illegally supporting her 2018 gubernatorial campaign — the largest fine ever assessed for violating Georgia campaign finance laws.
Under a consent order approved by the State Ethics Commission on Wednesday, the New Georgia Project admitted it raised and spent millions of dollars to support Abrams’ unsuccessful campaign without registering as an independent political committee and disclosing its activities, as required by state law. It also supported the campaigns of other Democratic candidates that year, as well as the unsuccessful 2019 Gwinnett County MARTA referendum.
[…]
It’s a dramatic about-face for a group that for years denied it did anything improper and mocked the investigation as a politically motivated “fishing expedition.” On Wednesday, it admitted to every allegation the commission had leveled against it.
The New Georgia Project was previously led by Warnock before he was elected to serve in the Senate in 2021. The AJC noted that Warnock’s spokesman released a statement claiming that though he led the group in 2018, “compliance decisions were not a part of that work.”
David Emadi, who is the executive director of the ethics commission, said that he did not “personally find evidence” of Warnock’s “direct involvement” but did note that “a separate complaint alleging illegal coordination remains under investigation.”
Calls have already begun for a federal-level investigation, which Warnock’s doubters believe could determine the extent of any involvement he may have had:
NEW: @SenatorWarnock-Led Charity Admits It Illegally Campaigned for @StaceyAbrams, Will Pay $300K Fine:@CaitlinAPT: “New Georgia Project should also be investigated on the federal level…would help determine the extent of Senator Warnock’s involvement.”https://t.co/ABef1o4wx4
— Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) January 15, 2025
As for Abrams, though allegedly she has had no “formal role” with the group since 2017, she has “remained close to its leaders,” as the New York Times reported. And though she wasn’t implicated in the investigation, there were concerns dating back to 2015 when she was still with New Georgia Project about her group’s activities:
But even some fellow Democrats cast doubts about the group’s registration record amid discrepancies in its reports in 2015. And the ethics commission investigation concluded the group advocated for Abrams’ election through canvassing, distributing campaign literature and other means.
Warnock will be up for reelection in 2028. Abrams, who tried unsuccessfully to get Joe Biden to pick her as his vice presidential running mate in 2020, has not ruled out a future run for public office.
FLASHBACK: CNN Anchor Gets Last Laugh After Confronting Stacey Abrams on ‘Stolen’ 2018 Election Claims
