ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s governor on Wednesday criticized the “unbecoming squabble” that has engulfed the state Capitol since fellow Republicans threatened to punish Delta Air Lines for cutting business ties with the National Rifle Association.
Gov. Nathan Deal, serving his final year in office, broke his silence on the controversy during a news conference with an apparent jab at candidates running to succeed him. He said a tax overhaul bill caught up in the debate had been “put at risk by the types of antics that tend to plague election years.”
Deal did not name Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a gubernatorial contender who tweeted Monday that he would kill a proposed tax break on jet fuel as retribution after Atlanta-based Delta said it would no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members.
Fellow Republican candidates joined Cagle in shaming Delta, one of Georgia’s largest employers. After three days of national headlines, Deal sought to assuage anyone who might doubt Georgia’s business-friendly reputation – including Amazon, which chose the state as a finalist for its second headquarters.
“Ours is a welcoming state, the epitome of Southern hospitality,” Deal said. “We were not elected to give the late-night talk show hosts further fodder for their monologues, or to act with the type of immaturity that has caused so many in our society to be skeptical about politics.”