{"id":2525551,"date":"2025-12-27T15:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anonymous-money-fuels-5-million-in-attacks-on-georgias-lt-gov-burt-jones\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T15:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:29:06","slug":"anonymous-money-fuels-5-million-in-attacks-on-georgias-lt-gov-burt-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anonymous-money-fuels-5-million-in-attacks-on-georgias-lt-gov-burt-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Anonymous money fuels $5 million in attacks on Georgia\u2019s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanonymous-money-fuels-5-million-in-attacks-on-georgias-lt-gov-burt-jones%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2525551&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An anonymous group called &#8220;Georgians for Integrity&#8221; has spent about $5 million on TV ads, mailers and texts attacking Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, accusing him of using his office to enrich his family. the ads-ubiquitous since Thanksgiving-don&#8217;t mention the 2026 governor&#8217;s race but urge viewers to contact Jones and complain about alleged profiteering. Jones, who has President Donald Trump&#8217;s endorsement for his gubernatorial bid, calls the ads &#8220;fabricated trash&#8221; and has threatened legal action against stations airing them.<\/p>\n<p>The group was incorporated in delaware on Nov. 24 as a social welfare nonprofit, a structure that allows donors to remain hidden. georgia republican leaders filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission arguing the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >spending violates state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/march-for-our-lives-issue-biden-1-billion-list-of-gun-control-policy-demands\/\" title=\"March For Our Lives Issue Biden  Billion List Of Gun Control Policy Demands\">campaign finance laws<\/a><\/a> that require registration and donor disclosure for committees that influence elections. Party officials say rivals Chris Carr and Brad Raffensperger aren&#8217;t behind the ads.<\/p>\n<p>Investigations have hit dead ends: the group lists only a mailbox in Atlanta, and names tied to its paperwork (a media buyer in Utah and a lawyer in Ohio) have not responded. Legal experts and party officials say the case highlights the growing role of &#8220;dark money&#8221; in state politics following the Citizens United decision, and officials dispute whether the ads&#8217; wording is a legal loophole or an attempt to evade disclosure rules.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Anonymous money fuels $5 million in attacks on Georgia&rsquo;s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2455896\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>ATLANTA (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> It&rsquo;s the biggest mystery in Georgia politics right now: Who&rsquo;s paying for the attacks on Republican Lt. Gov.&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/burt-jones-republican-georgia-lieutenant-governor-2026-62ac32083e0792cd55a5014e4a5e8bc8\">Burt Jones<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Someone operating under the name &ldquo;Georgians for Integrity&rdquo; has dumped around $5 million into&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SP8f-7E3FQo\">television ads<\/a>, mailers and texts. The attacks claim Jones, who already has President&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-governor-burt-jones-trump-endorsement-4f0bdac8c602fa6f2b5a0fa98f75ef1f\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s endorsement<\/a>&nbsp;in his run for governor next year, has been using his office to enrich himself.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4362935\/winter-storm-snarls-holiday-travel-northeast-great-lakes\/\">Winter storm snarls holiday travel across Northeast, Great Lakes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4362916\/nashville-speaker-maker-move-overseas-avoid-tariffs\/\">Nashville speaker maker plans to move overseas to avoid tariffs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4362910\/delaware-police-dmv-gunman-fired-at-officers\/\">Delaware State Police say DMV gunman let customers leave, fired at approaching officers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>For any Georgian settling down to watch a football game, the ads have been nearly inescapable since Thanksgiving. They&rsquo;re the opening shot in the public battle for the Republican nomination that will be settled in May&rsquo;s primary election. But the ads also show how&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/business-elections-philanthropy-sheldon-whitehouse-e7a84b70ac55eb9bb19740c5e5df09bd\">dark money<\/a>&nbsp;is influencing politics not only at the national level but in the states, with secretive interests dropping big sums seeking to shift public opinion.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4362387\/republicans-praise-trump-isis-strikes-nigeria-clear-unmistakable-message\/\">REPUBLICANS PRAISE TRUMP&rsquo;S ISIS STRIKES IN NIGERIA: &lsquo;CLEAR AND UNMISTAKABLE MESSAGE&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Jones campaign is hopping mad, threatening legal action against television stations if they don&rsquo;t stop airing ads that a lawyer calls &ldquo;demonstrably false&rdquo; and slanderous.<\/p>\n<p>So far, the ads remain on air.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They want to be anonymous, spend a lot of money, and create a lot of lies about myself and my family,&rdquo; Jones&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbradio.com\/on-air\/lg-burt-jones-fani-willis-hearing-tomorrow-much-more\/66206333-69f6-4576-9afa-ab27c569fdc1\/\">told WSB-AM<\/a>&nbsp;in an interview Dec. 16, calling the ads &ldquo;fabricated trash.&rdquo;<a><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Attorney General&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/chris-carr-georgia-governor-2026-attorney-general-c81bf517005a5b8351c1c5269eb4a1f1\">Chris Carr<\/a>&nbsp;and Secretary of State&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/secretary-brad-raffensperger-georgia-republican-governor-2026-7c19e8f80d90d0fb7aad0e30b42a97a1\">Brad Raffensperger<\/a>, Jones&rsquo; top rivals for the Republican nomination, say they are not involved in the attacks. All three want to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who can&rsquo;t run again because of term limits. There are also multiple Democrats vying for the state&rsquo;s top office.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dark-money-marches-on\">Dark money marches on<\/h2>\n<p>The Georgia Republican Party has&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:US:3ea79eea-7d61-4cf6-9df7-5bfbe79ca8f8?viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover\">filed a complaint<\/a>&nbsp;with the State Ethics Commission. The GOP claims the ads violate Georgia&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-expands-security-efforts-ahead-of-2022-elections\/\" title=\"Google Expands Security Efforts Ahead of 2022 Elections\">campaign finance law<\/a> against spending on an election without registering and disclosing donors.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4362818\/byron-york-questions-military-involvement-nigeria\/\">BYRON YORK QUESTIONS US MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN NIGERIA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think there are far-reaching consequences to allowing this activity to go forward unchecked,&rdquo; state Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon told the <em>Associated Press<\/em>. &ldquo;And the consequences are much broader than the outcome of the May primary.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a further filtering down of the U.S. Supreme Court&rsquo;s 2010&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/supreme-court-campaign-finance-republican-spending-limits-0381e78b1e8a8da0e49f5b55b543894e\">Citizens United decision<\/a>, which led to dramatic increases in independent spending in U.S. elections, said Shanna Ports, senior legal counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center, which seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Dark money is becoming more and more the norm in races, up and down the ballot, and at early times,&rdquo; Ports said.<\/p>\n<p>Claims that Jones has been engaged in self-dealing are nothing new &mdash; Carr has been&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-governor-republican-chris-carr-burt-jones-025d6727c82ed7b0118e35d1ad4e4172\">making similar attacks<\/a>&nbsp;for months. But things escalated after Georgians for Integrity was incorporated in Delaware on Nov. 24, according to that state&rsquo;s corporation records. The entity identifies itself as a nonprofit social welfare organization under the federal tax code, a popular way to organize campaign spending that lets a group hide its donors.<\/p>\n<p>The Jones campaign says the ad falsely leads viewers to believe that Jones enabled government to take land through eminent domain to help support his family&rsquo;s interest in a massive data center development in Jones&rsquo; home county south of Atlanta. As a state senator, Jones did vote for a 2017 law that opened a narrow exception in Georgia&rsquo;s law prohibiting governments from conveying property seized through condemnation proceedings to private developers. But eminent domain isn&rsquo;t being used to benefit the $10 billion development that&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.dca.ga.gov\/DRI\/AppSummary.aspx?driid=4560\">government filings<\/a>&nbsp;show could include 11 million square feet (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-builder-cifi-holdings-halts-foreign-debt-payments\/\" title=\"Chinese Builder CIFI Holdings Halts Foreign Debt Payments\">1 million square meters<\/a>) of data centers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4362775\/trump-first-year-report-card-promise-keeper-or-nightmare-failure\/\">TRUMP FIRST YEAR REPORT CARD: A- PROMISE KEEPER OR &lsquo;NIGHTMARE&rsquo; FAILURE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-group-s-records-are-a-dead-end\">Group&rsquo;s records are a dead end<\/h2>\n<p>Georgians for Integrity lists its local address as a mailbox at an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/atlanta\/\">Atlanta<\/a> office supply store east on some paperwork submitted to television stations. A media buyer named Alex Roberts, with a Park City, Utah, address, is also listed on those papers, but he hasn&rsquo;t responded to an email from the AP. Neither has Kimberly Land, a Columbus, Ohio, lawyer listed on incorporation papers. After weeks of heavy spending, no one has proved who&rsquo;s providing the cash.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican Party contends Georgians for Integrity is an independent committee under Georgia law. That means it can raise and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lincoln-project-falling-apart-amid-sexual-harassment-scandal-alleged-mismanagement-of-funds\/\" title=\"Lincoln Project falling apart amid sexual harassment scandal, alleged mismanagement of funds\">spend unlimited sums<\/a>, but must register before accepting contributions and must disclose its donors.<\/p>\n<p>But that law identifies such committees as expending &ldquo;funds either for the purpose of affecting the outcome of an election for any elected office or to advocate the election or defeat of any particular candidate.&rdquo; And the ads targeting Jones don&rsquo;t ever identify him as running for governor or mention the 2026 elections, instead urging viewers to call Jones and &ldquo;Tell Burt, stop profiting off taxpayers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3444699\/timeline-increasing-incidents-political-violence-in-the-us\/\">POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But McKoon said those are &ldquo;semantic games&rdquo; and that regular voters would definitely think the ads are designed to influence them.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you are funding a message that is designed to impact an election &mdash; and I think it strains credulity to argue that that is not the case here &mdash; then you ought to have to comply with the campaign finance laws that the legislature has seen fit to pass,&rdquo; McKoon said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anonymous donors fund $5M attacks on Burt Jones<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2525552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Jones-Georgia.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[53014,33926,51516,43554,37685],"class_list":["post-2525551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-burt-jones","tag-campaign-finance","tag-dark-money-2","tag-georgia-politics","tag-political-ads"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Jones-Georgia.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2525551"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2525555,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525551\/revisions\/2525555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2525552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2525551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2525551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2525551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}