Olens declines Carter's request for new Deal probe
By The Associated Press
Posted 5:32PM on Friday, June 27, 2014
Olens
ATLANTA (AP) -- Attorney General Sam Olens has declined a request by Democrat Jason Carter to appoint an independent investigator to review the handling of ethics complaints against Gov. Nathan Deal.<br />
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Those 2010 complaints were at the center of three lawsuits filed in recent years against the state ethics commission by former employees claiming retaliation for investigating the complaints against Deal.<br />
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Olens responded in a letter Friday, saying he doesn't have the authority to appoint an independent investigator and would not want to interfere with at least two other related investigations.<br />
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Carter, who is running against Deal in November, made the request earlier this week arguing there was "ample evidence that this investigation was never completed." Deal's spokeswoman has said there is no connection to the governor's office and Carter is "playing politics."