Another Purple State Democrat Congresswoman Gets Indicted For Massive Fraud - The American Tribune.com
Former Democratic Georgia Rep. Karen Bennett resigned effective Jan. 1, 2026, days before facing federal charges alleging that she fraudulently obtained nearly $14,000 in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefits by falsely claiming her in-home physical therapy work was disrupted, while her role was actually administrative and conducted from home and unaffected.
Yet further, prosecutors say she hid weekly church income of $905. She has pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. This marks the second Georgia House Democrat charged with similar pandemic fraud, following Rep. Sharon Henderson.
In any case, the charging documents, from the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, laid out the facts. The document read, “Before the pandemic her actual role with Metro Therapy was an administrative one and she worked from her home office; she did not provide in-home services for clients.”
Continuing, the same source revealed, “She was not prohibited from reaching her home office because of the pandemic. She was able to continue working as usual from her home to support Metro Therapy throughout the pandemic, and the therapists who provided actual services to clients were able to continue their work after a brief disruption.”
In her resignation letter to Gov. Brian Kemp, Karen Bennett wrote, “I am proud of the work accomplished by the Georgia General Assembly when we came together to advance policies that strengthened our state and improved the lives of all Georgians. Serving in this capacity has truly been a labor of love and one that I will miss.”
Bennett isn’t the only Georgia Democrat to have resigned in disgrace. Rep. Lynn Heffner, another Georgia Democrat, resigned under similar circumstances. “As recovery efforts have continued, the rebuilding process has reached an impasse, creating uncertainty that makes it difficult to confidently maintain constitutional residency while continuing legislative service,” she claimed in her own resignation letter.
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When the news broke on social media, conservatives were enraged. One viral post read, “
BREAKING: Democrat Georgia State Rep. Karen Bennett federally indicted for fraud. Bennett—a Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police activist is the 2nd GA lawmaker charged with defrauding taxpayers in the last month. The entire Democratic Party are fraudsters.”
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In the comments, one conservative reacted, “Disgusting the level of fraud that is taking place. DEI got people into positions they were never capable of handling.” Agreeing, another added, “As a GA resident, glad to see us rooting out the fraud. Taxpayer $ is our $!”
Describing the situation, one local conservative stated, “The corruption is deep in Georgia, and our republican governor turns a blind eye to the corruption that festers in the Atlanta metro area from democrats. I’d love a DOGE audit of all government programs here.”
Asking for harsh consequences, a comment begged, “Out on bond. Neither will see the prison time they deserve. Minimum 10 years plus all the money back!!!” Another pondered, “DOJ should form a complete section dedicated to investigating Dem crimes.”
“Just because more than 90% of the Democratic lawmakers are frauds, grifters and thieves, we shouldn’t just assume that ALL of them are,” a sarcastic post suggested. Wrapping up he comments, a Georgia conservative commented, “I live in DeKalb. They’re so obviously corrupt. Always have been”
Senate Nears Recess As Blanche Confirmation, Spending Bill Advance
The Senate is entering a critical stretch as lawmakers work to complete a series of high-profile votes before leaving Washington for their month-long August recess.
While several major priorities appear to have enough support to move forward, one unresolved issue is complicating efforts to wrap up the chamber’s business.
Republican and Democratic leaders are negotiating a path forward that would allow the Senate to quickly clear its remaining agenda.
However, an unrelated bipartisan proposal has emerged as an unexpected obstacle, threatening to delay an agreement on several of the chamber’s top priorities.
Senators were attempting to reach a deal that would allow them to pass a temporary government funding bill, confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, and complete several other pieces of legislation before departing for the August recess.
According to lawmakers familiar with the negotiations, a bipartisan bill establishing federal rules for name, image and likeness compensation and recruiting in college athletics has become a sticking point in broader discussions over how to conclude the Senate’s work.
One senator reportedly described the NIL legislation as a “chokepoint” in negotiations, as lawmakers seek unanimous agreement on a package of measures to move quickly through the chamber.
Despite that hurdle, the temporary government funding bill has advanced with broad bipartisan support during earlier procedural votes, suggesting it is likely to pass once Senate leaders reach an agreement on the remaining legislative schedule.
Another key item on the Senate’s agenda was the confirmation of Blanche, who was serving as acting attorney general.
Blanche’s nomination gained the support it needed on Friday after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced on the Senate floor that he would vote in favor of confirming him.
Cassidy had been viewed as the final Republican holdout, making his decision a significant development for the nomination.
In his floor remarks, Cassidy acknowledged that his vote would likely draw criticism but said he had carefully weighed the decision before reaching his conclusion.
“I know I’ll receive criticism for this vote,” Cassidy said, while emphasizing that he believed he had fully considered the issue on behalf of his constituents.
With Cassidy’s support, Blanche’s confirmation happened in the early hours on Saturday.
Earlier Friday, the Senate also approved legislation imposing additional sanctions on Russia.
The measure, named after its chief sponsor, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., passed by a bipartisan vote of 86-11.
The legislation represents one of the final major bills considered by the Senate before lawmakers leave Washington for the extended recess.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump spent Friday at the White House participating in policy meetings before attending a roundtable at the State Department.
Later in the day, the president was scheduled to travel to Bedminster, New Jersey.
Senate leaders continue working toward an agreement that would allow lawmakers to complete their remaining priorities before adjournment, but negotiations over the college athletics legislation remain unresolved.
If an agreement is reached, senators could quickly approve the stopgap spending measure, confirm Blanche and complete their remaining legislative work before departing for the month-long recess, allowing Congress to return later this year with government funding and several other major policy debates still awaiting action, The Hill reported.
Senate investigators have obtained a copy of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-issued iPhone from his time at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a report first published by The Wall Street Journal.
The phone was transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
It remains unclear what data investigators currently have access to or what information, if any, may ultimately be recovered from the device.
Johnson confirmed the transfer in a post on X, writing, “The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained a copy of Dr. Fauci’s phone from HHS. Hopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week’s hearing.”
Key State Calls Special Redistricting Session Amid GOP Moves to Redraw Maps
Republicans are pulling out all the stops, even to the point of doing what Democrats did years ago, to keep control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Starting earlier this century, Democrat-run states engaged in redistricting to squeeze out Republicans and capture more U.S. House seats.
Ahead of this election cycle, Republican-controlled states are doing the same thing, much to the angst of the opposition party – and with the blessin gof the Supreme Court.
Georgia Republicans are officially joining the nationwide redistricting battle after Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced a special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative maps following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.
The special session will begin June 17 and could dramatically reshape Georgia’s political landscape heading into the 2028 election cycle.
Republicans are openly signaling they intend to dismantle race-based districts that were previously protected under Voting Rights Act precedent.
“The Supreme Court decision is clear,” Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon said after the announcement.
“That we can’t have these racially gerrymandered maps anymore. They’re illegal,” he added.
Kemp’s executive order directs lawmakers to redraw congressional, state House, and state Senate districts after the Supreme Court significantly narrowed the legal framework surrounding racial considerations in redistricting.
The move places Georgia alongside other Republican-controlled Southern states, including Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana, that are aggressively revisiting district maps after the Court ruled states cannot rely predominantly on race when drawing political boundaries.
Kemp previously indicated that Georgia would not alter maps before the 2026 elections because voting and ballot preparations were already underway.
However, he made clear the state intends to comply with the new legal environment before 2028.
“Voting is already underway for the 2026 elections, but it’s clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle,” Kemp said earlier this month.
Republicans argue the effort is aimed at restoring “race-neutral” districting principles after years of federally mandated racial balancing under Voting Rights Act litigation.
McKoon said the goal is to create districts “rooted in traditional, race-neutral principles,” including compactness and respect for county and municipal lines.
One likely target is Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop.
The district is one of the last remaining rural majority-Black congressional districts in the Deep South and has long been viewed by Republicans as vulnerable under the new Supreme Court standard.
The redistricting fight comes as Republicans across the country increasingly view the post-Callais environment as an opportunity to expand their congressional advantage ahead of the next decade of elections.
Georgia lawmakers had already redrawn maps once in 2023 after a federal judge ordered the creation of additional majority-Black districts under earlier Voting Rights Act standards. That case remains pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Now, however, the Supreme Court’s new precedent has significantly raised the burden for plaintiffs challenging maps on racial grounds, requiring proof of intentional discrimination rather than simply showing racial impact.
The Georgia move is part of a much broader national redistricting war now unfolding after the Supreme Court ruling.
Louisiana Republicans are already moving to redraw congressional maps after the Court struck down the state’s previous race-based district configuration.
Alabama lawmakers are also pursuing new maps, while Tennessee Republicans are attempting to eliminate the state’s lone Democratic-held congressional district.
Meanwhile, other Republican-led states, including Florida, Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, have either already passed or proposed additional GOP-favorable maps as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen the party’s House majority heading into future election cycles.
President Donald Trump has openly encouraged Republican-controlled states to act aggressively following the Supreme Court ruling.
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“We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done,” Trump wrote recently. “This is going to help us win elections!”
Georgia Democrats immediately attacked Kemp’s decision, accusing Republicans of attempting to solidify long-term political control.
