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Georgia attorney general sues GOP opponent in governor’s race over campaign financing
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Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, one of the leading Republican contenders for governor, has filed a lawsuit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, challenging the legality of his GOP rival’s campaign funding.
Carr asked a federal judge to permanently block Jones’ ability to spend money from his leadership committee, a fundraising tool that allows the state’s governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds.
Both men are leading Republican candidates to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp after next year’s election.
Carr argues that Jones’ leadership committee violates the attorney general’s First Amendment right to free speech and his 14th Amendment right to equal protection by setting up a campaign finance structure that boosts Jones and limits how much Carr can spend on his campaign. A 2021 state law that created leadership committees does not allow Carr or other declared candidates to have access to the fundraising vehicle.
Carr’s regular campaign committee is limited to raising $8,400 from each donor for his primary campaign and $4,200 for a potential primary runoff.
FORMER GEORGIA LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN ABANDONS GOP TO JOIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, pictured here, sued Lt. Gov. Burt Jones over the legality of the lieutenant governor’s campaign funding. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Carr campaign spokeswoman Julia Mazzone said in a statement that Jones «is using his position to sidestep contribution limits, raise six-figure checks during legislative sessions and funnel unlimited money into a competitive primary through a structure only he can access.»
«Republicans cannot ignore the cloud of unethical, illegal and corrupt behavior that surrounds Burt Jones,» Mazzone said.
«Leadership committees were never intended to be unregulated campaign machines,» the statement added. «The court has ruled on this before, and the Constitution prohibits exactly what’s happening here. We’re taking action to uphold transparency and accountability standards.»
A Jones campaign spokesperson, meanwhile, has accused Carr of being hypocritical since his office previously defended the same law that he is now challenging in court. Carr has argued that the attorney general must defend challenged laws even if he personally disagrees with them.
«Georgia’s lackluster Attorney General defended this law two years ago,» Kendyl Parker, Jones’ spokeswoman said. «Now, he’s running for governor and wants to challenge the same law he once defended. If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, he’d take gold.»
Carr launched his gubernatorial bid last year, saying he needed more time to raise money because he is not personally wealthy. His campaign has expressed concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and family wealth to support his primary campaign.
REPUBLICAN DOOLEY JUMPS INTO GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE TOUTING SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND TAKING AIM AT OSSOFF
Georgia AG Chris Carr asked a federal judge to permanently block Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ ability to spend money from the lieutenant governor’s leadership committee. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Carr campaign has sought to have the state Ethics Commission probe the source of a $10 million loan Jones made to his leadership committee, although the commission declined to launch an investigation, noting that Carr failed to allege a legal violation.
The attorney general’s campaign pointed to U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen’s 2022 ruling that a leadership committee for Kemp could not use money for Kemp’s re-election campaign during that year’s Republican primary. Cohen found that the «unequal campaign finance scheme» violated GOP primary challenger and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s First Amendment right to free speech.
Cohen ruled that Kemp could continue raising money for the leadership committee but said the governor could not spend it against Perdue in the primary.
«Despite full knowledge of this history, Mr. Jones and his leadership committee, WBJ Leadership Committee, Inc., are ignoring this Court’s prior rulings and using a leadership committee—that has no contribution or coordinated spending limits—in a primary election against a candidate without one,» Carr’s lawsuit reads.
Carr is seeking additional restrictions on Jones’ leadership committee than in Cohen’s ruling. The attorney general is asking a judge to cut off both fundraising and spending from the lieutenant governor’s leadership committee until the primary race is over.
He is also requesting that a federal magistrate judge be appointed to oversee all spending by the leadership committee and that Jones’ regular campaign committee repay any money already spent by the leadership committee to support Jones’ gubernatorial run.
«The loan and its amount are significant because Mr. Jones is also able to raise unlimited funds into the leadership committee, then repay the loan from funds raised that then can be applied directly to his campaign account, effectively removing the contribution limits from those dollars,» the lawsuit says.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign criticized Georgia AG Chris Carr as a hypocrite since his office defended the same law in 2022 that he is now challenging in court. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
Carr asks that the court block Jones from giving any cash to dark money groups or making any loans to his regular campaign committee during the primary. He also wants the magistrate judge to probe where Jones’ $10 million loan came from, citing a 2022 financial disclosure showing that Jones did not have enough liquid assets for a loan of that quantity.
The attorney general’s campaign continues to express concern that Jones could raise unlimited money to repay his loan and then give the repaid money to his candidate committee for the primary, arguing that this would wreck campaign contribution restrictions.
«Mr. Jones is raising and spending unlimited amounts of money in the primary—and Mr. Carr is limited in what he can raise by Georgia’s existing campaign contribution limits,» the lawsuit reads. «This Court should level this uneven playing field by preventing Mr. Jones from using his leadership committee during the primary election.»
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Carr’s campaign has also called on the Ethics Commission for an advisory legal opinion on whether Jones’ fundraising activity is legal.
The Republican primary will be held in May, and the general election next year in the purple state is expected to be one of the most expensive governor’s races in the country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
georgia,us,politics,republicans elections,elections,elections state and local
INTERNACIONAL
La muerte de “El Mencho”: cómo colaboró Estados Unidos con México para eliminar al capo narco
INTERNACIONAL
Cartels outgun police: Rocket launchers seized in El Mencho raid spotlight CJNG firepower
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Mexican forces seized rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft during the operation Sunday that killed cartel boss Ruben «Nemesio» Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho,» underscoring how the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) amassed military-style firepower over the years.
Authorities have previously linked CJNG to a 2015 attack in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to bring down a Mexican military helicopter – one of the starkest examples of a cartel directly engaging federal forces with battlefield-grade weapons.
The assault marked a turning point in how Mexican authorities viewed the group’s capabilities.
During Sunday’s raid, officials said security forces were attacked and returned fire, deploying aircraft and specialized units to carry out the operation. Authorities said troops seized armored vehicles and heavy weapons, equipment more commonly associated with armed conflict than routine law enforcement.
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Ruben «Nemesio» Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho,» was killed during a Mexican operation in Jalisco on Sunday. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Mexican Special Forces, with aircraft assistance from the Air Force and National Guard rapid-reaction units, participated in the mission, highlighting the scale of force required to confront senior cartel leadership.
Former U.S. officials have described CJNG as operating more like a paramilitary organization than a traditional trafficking ring, using coordinated roadblocks, armed convoys and structured enforcement wings to assert control in contested regions.
In prior reporting, former Drug Enforcement Administration officials said the group commanded large numbers of gunmen and organized itself in a way that allowed it to deploy force quickly and visibly.
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CJNG is known for its paramilitary-style operations and structure. (Eduardo Verdugo, File/AP Photo)
CJNG’s tactics have included seizing vehicles and staging coordinated attacks in urban areas to demonstrate strength and deter rivals or security forces.
Over time, such displays reinforced its reputation as one of Mexico’s most heavily armed criminal organizations.
ALLEGED SINALOA CARTEL FENTANYL PRODUCER CHARGED IN NEWLY UNSEALED FEDERAL INDICTMENT
Smoke rises into the sky over Puerto Vallarta during an operation targeting cartel activity on Feb. 22, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday urging Americans in multiple Mexican states to shelter in place due to «ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity,» reflecting the instability that can follow major cartel confrontations.
In recent years, Mexican authorities have increasingly relied on military forces – rather than local police – to confront senior cartel figures as groups like CJNG expanded their reach and arsenals.
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The raid that killed «El Mencho» marked not only the removal of a powerful drug lord but also another example of how heavily armed cartels can challenge state forces in direct confrontations.
location mexico,mexican cartel violence,narco terror,military
INTERNACIONAL
El narcotráfico dio una brutal muestra de poder de fuego ante el cambio de estrategia del gobierno mexicano
La violencia desatada tras la muerte del líder del Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”, dejó al descubierto no solo el poder de fuego que maneja el narcotráfico en México, sino también un cambio evidente de la estrategia del gobierno en el combate contra el crimen organizado.
No fue un hecho sorpresivo. El narco domina vastas regiones donde impera su ley. Incluso, en muchos estados se convirtió en un importante empleador e impulsor de las economías locales en base a su connivencia y control del poder político y judicial.
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Con 175.000 “soldados”, es hoy la quinta fuerza empleadora más grande del país, detrás de Fomento Económico Mexicano (la empresa embotelladora más grande de Coca-Cola en el mundo), Walmart, Manpower y América Móvil. Está por delante hasta de la petrolera estatal Pemex y el poderoso Grupo Salinas.
En ese escenario, el Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación es uno de los más poderosos y violentos.
El académico mexicano Rafael Prieto Curial, investigador del Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, con sede en Viena, dijo a TN que el Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación tiene hoy 25.000 miembros.
La presión de Donald Trump y el cambio de estrategia de Claudia Sheinbaum
Algo cambió en México tras la asunción de Donald Trump hace un año. La presión ejercida por el presidente estadounidense sobre el gobierno de la izquierdista Claudia Sheinbaum derivó en un palpable cambio de estrategia en el combate al tráfico de drogas.
Hace seis años, las fuerzas federales mexicanas detuvieron y enseguida liberaron a Ovidio Guzmán, hijo de Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, líder histórico del Cartel de Sinaloa, hoy sentenciado y detenido en una cárcel de máxima seguridad en Estados Unidos.
La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum (Foto: EFE)
Entonces, el gobierno del presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador reconoció que habían liberado al hijo de El Chapo para evitar un baño de sangre.
Hoy, la estrategia es otra. El gobierno sabía que la muerte de El Mencho iba a derivar en una ola de caos y violencia como la que se vivió el domingo en vastas zonas de Jalisco, incluso en el turístico balneario de Puerto Vallarta.
Leé también: El mensaje de la presidenta de México tras la muerte del líder del Cártel de Jalisco: “Mantenernos en calma”
“Por presión de Estados Unidos, pareciera que se está cambiando la estrategia del gobierno respecto al narco. Esto hubiera sido impensable hace 10 años. El caso emblemático fue el de Ovidio Guzmán, detenido y liberado para evitar el caos que vemos hoy. Es una visión totalmente distinta”, dijo a TN el exdiputado Fernando Rodríguez Doval, ex secretario nacional del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN, derecha).
Para el dirigente, esta nueva táctica “puede acarrear rupturas en el seno del gobierno”.
“Pareciera que esta captura y abatimiento es respuesta a las presiones de Trump, Eso está cada vez más claro. Fue un operativo conjunto. Habrá que ver hasta dónde abarcó la cooperación. Si solo fue una colaboración de inteligencia o hubo algo más. Pero es evidente que fue una acción coordinada con el gobierno de Estados Unidos”, afirmó.
El poder del narcotráfico en México
El poder del narco mexicano ha crecido en forma exponencial en los últimos años.
Los carteles manejan ejércitos propios con un poder de fuego brutal que quedó plasmado en la ola de incendios de vehículos, cortes de rutas y tiroteos que siguieron a la muerte de El Mencho.
Un policía observa un vehículo calcinado que fue incendiado en una carretera de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, el domingo 22 de febrero de 2026, tras la muerte del líder del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, conocido como «El Mencho». (Foto AP/Alejandra Leyva)
“Su muerte derivó en el despliegue en alrededor de 10 estados de muchísima fuerza narco. Esto nos habla de la enorme fuerza del crimen organizado y la debilidad dramática del Estado a pesar del éxito del operativo”, dijo Rodríguez Doval.
Para el exlegislador, el narco creció de la mano de su connivencia con el poder político. “Eso le ha permitido crecer mucho, conquistando espacios cada vez más fuertes y dominar buena parte del territorio nacional”.
El poder es tan omnipresente que el tráfico de drogas es hoy solo una parte del negocio.
“Hoy se dedican a todo tipo de actividades. Antes eran solo las drogas, pero ahora se han diversificado con ´nuevos mercados´. Se dedican al tráfico de personas, el robo de autos, el cobro de extorsiones, el secuestro, venta de gasolina, peaje. Lo que vemos es una industria criminal presente en muchos ámbitos económicos», afirmó.
La sucesión en el Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación
En su diálogo con TN, Rafael Prieto Curial dijo que el abatimiento de El Mencho genera tres sensaciones diferentes.
“Por un lado, era el líder de uno de los carteles mas importantes del mundo, sanguinario, violento y con muchísimo poder en todos los estados del país. Su caída es algo bueno”, dijo.
Pero al mismo tiempo genera la reacción del cartel con “víctimas secundarias, pánico en la sociedad y acostumbrarse a que México es este país” dominado en vastas zonas por organizaciones criminales.
Finalmente, ahora se abre un panorama de enorme incertidumbre por la sucesión del poder en el grupo. “Si el cartel se fragmenta en más de una facción, como ocurrió con el de Sinaloa, podría terminar en una violencia terrible como sucede hoy en ese estado”, indicó.
“Pero si una persona distinta ocupa el lugar de El Mencho, el impacto es nulo. El cartel tiene mas o menos 25.000 miembros. Si pierde a uno, aunque sea el más importante, solo es uno. No estamos viendo a los otros 25.000 que siguen siendo parte del grupo. Lo feo es pensar que aquí termina la política de seguridad”, concluyó.
México, Narcotráfico
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