Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones told Newsmax on Monday that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has failed to enforce election integrity in Fulton County.
Jones accused him of years of inaction and political posturing as the two face off in the GOP gubernatorial race.
Speaking on "Finnerty," Jones said problems in Fulton County elections long predate 2020 and have gone unresolved under Raffensperger's leadership.
"In Georgia, we've known for a long time that Fulton County has had issues way before 2020 and in ... municipal elections or state elections, it doesn't matter," Jones said. "There's always been issues with Fulton County and their voter roll and their unwillingness to clean their voter roll.
"And the secretary of state has been complicit in allowing this to go on."
Jones also pointed to federal scrutiny involving Fulton County records ahead of the FBI raid on the elections hub last week.
"The DOJ requested, had a court order requesting the that they gain access to those files before the FBI raid," he said. "And not only did Fulton County ignore it, but our secretary of state ignored it as well.
"So it's obvious he's playing politics."
Asked about Raffensperger's recent pivot on Real ID and voter identification requirements, Jones said the change was "just trying to distract" from the secretary's failure to enforce election integrity.
"He's just trying to distract from what he's not doing as far as holding Fulton County accountable," Jones said. "We do require that people have a photo ID or their driver's license.
"If they don't have a driver's license for whatever reason, they can ask for a voter ID card from their local county officials."
"But those are things that we had to enact as legislature, because the secretary of state has just absolutely been one of the worst ones I've seen since being in office," he added.
Raffensperger provided Newsmax with a statement defending his record.
"I've made Georgia the best, most secure state for elections by using every available tool to keep our voter rolls accurate, including citizenship verification systems that flag voters potentially registered at business addresses or mailbox stores," host Rob Finnerty read on air.
But Jones cited independent journalist David Khait, who last week told Newsmax about alleged irregularities in Georgia's voter registration rolls.
"If you just look at the interview you did last week with the guy [who] could show you where people were registered, from UPS stores to P.O. boxes to homeless shelters to, you know, churches there in Fulton County," Jones said. "These things have been pointed out on numerous occasions to [the] secretary of state's office, and seemingly nothing is done about it."
He accused Raffensperger of offering rhetoric without results as he seeks higher office.
"So I think he's just playing lip service right now," Jones said. "Obviously he's running for higher office so he's trying to, you know, make himself out to be the best thing since sliced bread as far as the secretary of state is concerned."
Jones and Raffensperger are among five Republicans vying for the party's nomination to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp in Georgia's May 19 primary.
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