Here's the deal on Deal

Gov. Nathan Deal may not be an outright crook, but he certainly knows how to play the system, to work behind the scenes and manipulate the strings of the government to his advantage.   He knows how to operate in the gray areas for personal gain.   

Remember all his financial woes when he first ran for governor, where it looked like we could have a governor who had to declare bankruptcy?    Well, that didn't happen.    Somehow, with sweetheart loan deals that only the rich and/or powerful have access to, it got fixed.

Here's a smelly story that may not be illegal;   but it certainly is not squeeky clean.

Governor Deal was under investigation by the State Ethics Commission for questionable uses of campaign finance.   Once he became governor, with an active investigation going on, it just happened that the bad economy "required" that they cut the salary of the Director ("Ms. A") of the Ethics Commission by 30%, and they also eliminated the job of her assistant.

Ms. A resigned.   And, wouldn't you just know it?    Someone in state government had already lined up her successor, whose salary over the course of the ensuing year was restored to near what the previous one had been.   Yes, the one that had to be cut.  And it wasn't that the economy had suddenly improved.

The Guv says he had nothing to do with it, that it's routine to have someone lined up when you think there is going to be a resignation.   Yea, right.   Wanna buy a bridge in Brooklyn?

Now let's call this new Director Ms. B.    Pretty soon, according to sworn testimony, she ordered certain documents removed from the Deal investigation file.   In due time, the Commission decided on a small fine for the governor, which amounted to a gentle tap on the wrist.  I think it was something like $3,500.

Also, according to several members of the staff, Ms. B. said in front of several staff members that Gov. Deal owed her for taking care of the problem.

Now in fairness to Ms. B. and the governor, she has said that the documents removed were irrelevant and duplicate copies of things.   I'm skeptical.   Do we have any proof of that to counter other testimony that it did influence the verdict?

That's not all.   Ms. A. has now sued, challenging the circumstances of her reduced salary and subsequent resignation.    An investigation of this whole sordid mess was called for, with a special investigator to be appointed by the Attorney General.    But he says that he has never received a formal request from the Ethics Commission.

Yesterday it was announced that, after looking at a number of potential appointees for the investigative job and not finding one suitable, the Ethics Commission is now asking the State Auditing Department to do the investigation.

Why does the commission being investigated get to choose who does the investigation?   That's a question we should raise and get an answer to.

Now it will be simply an auditing of the functioning of the Ethics Commission in the matter.  And the head of the auditing deparment is a Deal appointee.   It will not be broadened to include how this all came about with the forcing out of the previous Director.

This stinks of corruption of the kind that is all too common when you have the whole state government ruled by one party.    It is also standard operating procedure for this governor.  And he always manages to be once removed so there is deniability.

I hope the AJC stays on the case and keeps pushing to get the truth out in the public sphere.

Ralph