GAINESVILLE, Ga. – A former congressman running for governor in Georgia disputed claims Tuesday that he may have broken ethics rules with his auto salvage business.
Republican Nathan Deal said he had done nothing wrong and blamed the media and congressional investigators for “distorting the truth” in a politically motivated effort to upend his gubernatorial bid. On Monday, the Office of Congressional Ethics released a report that suggested Deal may have violated House ethics rules when he lobbied Georgia officials not to change a state program that had funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into his business.
“Sometimes in the world of politics there is a price to be paid for doing what’s right,” a defiant Deal told reporters at a news conference in his hometown of Gainesville. “Over the last couple of days, I have seen those who would exact a price from me.”
The bipartisan ethics panel voted to release the 138-page report one week after Deal resigned from Congress, a move he said was made to let him focus on his bid for governor. The ethics panel’s investigation ended when Deal stepped down.
However, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, has asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal probe of his business dealings with the state.