Georgia’s attorney general announced Wednesday his office will not defend the state against claims it knowingly used antiquated voting technology in recent elections despite knowing it was vulnerable to being hacked. The Coalition for Good Governance and Georgians for Verified Voting, both of which advocate for voting transparency, sued Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp in Fulton County Superior Court on July 3. The case was removed to federal court in August. The proceedings are pending. However, it was recently revealed that a computer server crucial to the lawsuit was erased four days after the suit was filed in state court, according to Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, “there’s conflicting information between what the attorney general has stated and what defendants have stated regarding the destruction of records.” “It suggests there’s something very troubling and serious happening,” Marks said. Earlier this week the state attorney general’s office notified U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg that Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr is stepping down from the case.
… A private law firm, Barnes Law Group, LLC, will step in to defend Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes leads that firm.
“Governor Barnes and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he will be a zealous advocate for the State Election Board and the Secretary of State to show that these claims are baseless. We look forward to working with him as we continue to provide secure elections in Georgia,” Kemp said in a prepared statement.
But Marks was troubled. “The Attorney General has a responsibility for representing state officials,” Marks said. “When an attorney general has to withdraw from a case and force taxpayers to pay for expensive outside counsel for the state officials, obviously there’s something seriously wrong.”
Full Article: Georgia’s Attorney General Won’t Defend State In Voting Machine Case.