福克斯新闻首发：佐治亚州共和党州长热门候选人之一吹嘘自己将“成为特朗普最喜欢的州长”，并在争取唐纳德·特朗普总统的支持，但他提交给联邦选举委员会（FEC）的记录显示，在2024年总统竞选中，他曾在财务上支持过特朗普的多名共和党对手。
特别是，副州长伯特·琼斯（Lt. Gov. Burt Jones）和亿万富翁医疗保健企业家里克·杰克逊（Rick Jackson）这两位顶级候选人，一直在为谁更与特朗普立场一致而争执不休。
“这次初选非常简单，”琼斯在其竞选网站上表示，“只有一位真正的保守派为特朗普总统奋斗过。”与此同时，杰克逊向选民保证，在他上个月宣布参选不到两个月前，他向总统的政治行动委员会“让美国再次伟大”公司（MAGA Inc.）捐赠了100万美元，他将“成为特朗普最喜欢的州长”。
然而，根据福克斯新闻数字频道对FEC申报文件的审查，杰克逊及其公司和投资集团网络有向特朗普对手捐款的历史，包括在特朗普获得共和党提名之前的2024年总统竞选期间。杰克逊至少向妮基·黑利（Nikki Haley）捐赠了15万美元，向维韦克·拉马斯瓦米（Vivek Ramaswamy）捐赠了10万美元，而当时这两人都在与特朗普竞争。
[特朗普盟友克莱·富勒在佐治亚州争夺MTG前职位的竞选中胜出]
由杰克逊控制数十年的杰克逊投资集团（Jackson Investment Group），根据2024年提交给美国证券交易委员会（SEC）的文件（https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2039058/000121390024106255/ea0215565-10.htm），通过SFA基金公司（SFA Fund, INC.）和“为美国而站”团队（Team Stand for America）至少花费了15万美元支持黑利。2023年至2024年间，杰克逊投资集团向SFA基金公司分三次捐赠了至少14万美元，其中包括在黑利于2024年初暂停竞选活动前几周捐赠的4万美元。杰克逊还直接向“为美国而站”团队捐赠了1万美元，该团队是支持黑利的联合筹款委员会。
杰克逊投资集团向拉马斯瓦米的超级政治行动委员会（super PAC）捐赠的10万美元发生在2023年7月，就在他于2024年1月暂停竞选活动的几个月前。
FEC申报文件显示，在过去十年中，杰克逊还向其他特朗普对手捐款，包括前美国众议员、怀俄明州共和党人莉兹·切尼（Liz Cheney），前参议员、犹他州共和党人米特·罗姆尼（Mitt Romney），以及超过100万美元支持2016年针对特朗普的杰布·布什（Jeb Bush）总统竞选活动（https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jeb-bush-commends-former-rival-trumps-iran-op-this-time-take-country-back）。杰克逊还在2020年格林完全支持“让美国再次伟大”运动时，向其捐款反对她；并在参议员林赛·格雷厄姆（Lindsay Graham，南卡罗来纳州共和党人）在退出并支持得克萨斯州参议员特德·克鲁兹（Ted Cruz）后不久，向其2016年总统竞选活动捐款。
向切尼的领导政治行动委员会“The Great Task”捐赠的2700美元，发生在切尼在2021年1月6日美国国会山骚乱后加入民主党人投票弹劾特朗普之后的几周。
拥有财富的杰克逊医疗保健公司创始人杰克逊正在为自己的竞选投入至少5000万美元，这一举措震惊了原本预期琼斯（特朗普支持的领跑者）、佐治亚州国务卿布拉德·拉芬斯珀格（Brad Raffensperger）和州总检察长克里斯·卡尔（Chris Carr）之间的初选格局。
这位竞选新人驳斥了他对特朗普不够忠诚的攻击，将自己比作特朗普圈子里曾对总统持怀疑态度的人，如国务卿马尔科·卢比奥（Marco Rubio）和副总统JD·万斯（JD Vance）（https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/jd-vance）。当被问及他之前向特朗普对手捐款的问题时，杰克逊竞选团队的发言人转而攻击琼斯。
“自私自利的伯特·琼斯正在重复旧的攻击来转移对他失败竞选的注意力。从为对未成年人进行变性手术的医生保驾护航，到为了竞选资金和家庭利益保护中国电子烟制造商，乔治亚州民众对伯特·琼斯了解得越多，就越意识到他就像亚特兰大政治团伙的头目。这就是为什么即使有支持，伯特·琼斯也在输掉选举。”杰克逊竞选发言人戴夫·艾布拉姆斯（Dave Abrams）在接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时表示。
“需要明确的是，特朗普总统支持伯特·琼斯担任州长。”一位前特朗普白宫高级官员告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，“里克·杰克逊声称自己是特朗普的‘最爱’，这简直是不诚实的。”
琼斯的竞选发言人凯拉·洛特（Kayla Lott）驳斥了杰克逊团队称其为中国电子烟制造商提供保护的说法，称副州长对一项本会创建授权尼古丁蒸汽产品目录的法案的努力，是为了防止垄断并推广自由市场解决方案。洛特还指出琼斯支持《众议院法案54》，防止未成年人接受变性手术或药物治疗。
[特朗普的对手法尼·威利斯再次被驳回 RICO 案件，总统推动追回数百万美元]
“永不特朗普派的里克·杰克逊资助了反对特朗普总统和美国优先议程的候选人，”洛特说，“现在他在撒谎来试图掩盖这一点。作为这场竞选中唯一得到特朗普支持的候选人，副州长伯特·琼斯将永远为乔治亚州人民挺身而出，与我们的总统站在一起。‘油滑的里克’也无法用金钱来掩盖自己的记录。”
早在2016年支持布什之前，杰克逊就支持了罗姆尼，另一位将总统描述为“骗子”和“欺诈者”的特朗普对手。FEC申报文件显示，杰克逊花费了超过10万美元支持罗姆尼的总统竞选及其政治行动委员会“罗姆尼胜利公司”（Romney Victory Inc.）（https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/mitt-romney）。特朗普曾多次表示，罗姆尼在2012年“失败了”，“让我们所有人失望了”。
琼斯、杰克逊、卡尔和拉芬斯珀格将于5月19日在初选中角逐，随后在11月初进行大选。
FIRST ON FOX: One of the top Republican contenders for governor in Georgia hyped that he would “be Trump’s favorite governor” and is vying for President Donald Trump’s endorsement, but his Federal Election Commission records reveal he financially backed multiple GOP rivals of Trump during the 2024 presidential race.
In particular, two top contenders, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire healthcare entrepreneur Rick Jackson, have been sparring over who is more aligned with Trump.
“This Primary Election is very simple,” Jones says on his campaign website. “There is one authentic conservative who has fought for President Trump.” Meanwhile, Jackson has assured voters that he would “be Trump’s favorite governor” after donating $1 million to the president’s political action committee, MAGA Inc. less than two months before he jumped in the race last month.
However, Jackson and his network of companies and investment groups have a history of donating funds to Trump’s rivals, including during his 2024 presidential bid prior to him obtaining the Republican Party nomination, according to a Fox News Digital review of FEC filings. Jackson gave at least $150,000 to Nikki Haley and $100,000 to Vivek Ramaswamy, who were both running against Trump at the time.
[TRUMP ALLY CLAY FULLER ADVANCES IN GEORGIA FIGHT FOR MTG’S FORMER SEAT]
Jackson Investment Group, an entity that Jackson has controlled for decades, according to a 2024 SEC filing, spent at least $150,000 supporting Nikki Haley through the SFA Fund, INC., and Team Stand for America. The SFA Fund, INC. received three separate donations from the Jackson Investment Group totaling at least $140,000 between 2023 and 2024, including $40,000 weeks before Haley suspended her campaign in early 2024. Jackson also directly gave $10,000 to Team Stand for America, a joint fundraising committee that was supporting Haley.
The $100,000 donation from the Jackson Investment Group to Ramaswamy’s super PAC occurred in July 2023, months before he suspended his campaign in Jan. 2024.
Jackson has also donated across the last decade to other Trump rivals like former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and over $1 million in support of Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign against Trump, FEC filings show. Jackson also contributed funds against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., when she was fully on the MAGA train in 2020, and donated to Sen. Lindsay Graham’s, R-S.C., 2016 presidential bid shortly after he dropped out and endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The $2,700 donation to Cheney’s leadership PAC, The Great Task, came weeks after she joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump after they said he incited the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jackson, the wealthy founder of Jackson Healthcare who is seeding his own campaign with at least $50 million, shook up a primary field that many had expected was set in stone between Jones, the Trump-endorsed front-runner, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr.
The newcomer to the race has brushed off attacks that he is not sufficiently loyal to Trump, comparing himself to people serving in Trump’s orbit who were once skeptics of the president, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. When reached for comment about his previous donations to Trump rivals, a Jackson campaign spokesperson pivoted to Jones.
“Self-dealing Burt Jones is recycling old attacks to distract from his failing campaign. From shielding doctors who perform sex change surgeries on minors to protecting Chinese vape manufacturers for campaign cash and family profit, the more Georgians learn about Burt Jones, the more they realize he operates like the kingpin of the Atlanta political mob. That’s why even with the endorsement, Burt Jones is losing,” Dave Abrams, a Jackson campaign spokesperson, told Fox News Digital when reached for comment.
“To be clear, President Trump endorsed Burt Jones for Governor,” a former senior Trump White House official told Fox News Digital. “Rick Jackson claiming he is Trump’s ‘favorite’ is downright dishonest.”
Kayla Lott, a campaign spokesperson for Jones, contested the claim from Jackson’s team that he has worked to protect Chinese vape manufacturers, arguing the Lt. Gov.’s efforts on a bill that would have created a directory of authorized nicotine vapor products was about preventing monopolization and promoting free-market solutions. Lott also pointed to Jones’ support for House Bill 54, preventing minors from obtaining sex-change surgeries or drug treatment.
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“Never Trumper Rick Jackson bankrolled candidates running against President Trump and the America First agenda,” Lott said. “Now he’s lying to voters to try and cover it up. As the only Trump-endorsed candidate in this race, Lt. Governor Burt Jones will always stand up for Georgians and stand with our President. Not even Slick Rick can buy his way out of his own record _ .”
Even before his support for Bush in 2016, Jackson supported Romney, another Trump rival who has described the president as a “phony” and a “fraud.” FEC filings show that Jackson spent over $100,000 supporting Romney’s presidential campaign and his political action committee, Romney Victory Inc. Trump repeatedly said Romney “choked” in 2012 and “let us all down.”
Jackson, Jones, Carr and Raffensperger will duke it out in their upcoming primary on May 19, with the general election to follow in early November.