Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn partnered with D.C. lobbyists in a multi-million dollar land deal in 2004, according to America Rising.
The deal was revealed by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which reported on a leaked memo of vulnerabilities from Nunn’s campaign.
Nunn has been decrying lobbyists and their influence on the campaign trail despite securing a multi-million dollar deal and taking $120,000 from lobbyists this cycle.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
In 2004, Nunn, her father, four-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, local builder Michael Wilson and two Washington lobbyists who used to work for Sam Nunn - Bob Hurt and Frank Norton – secured along with their spouses a $2 million loan to buy 850 acres of land in Glynn County. At the end of 2008, the county approved a zoning change for a chunk of the property to "planned development," with the lead owner listed as Ron Martin, Nunn’s husband. […]
When a development plan was still in the works, the tax bill on the land came to $23,100, on a market value of $2.55 million. After Wisawee Partners obtained the easement, the tax bill on the slightly smaller portion of land dedicated to the easement was $3,502 and its market value assessed at $369,210. The rest of the property was spun off into smaller parcels in separate holding companies. Subsequent easements reduced their values and tax bills as well. In addition, the partnership would have been eligible for state tax credits and a charitable deduction on its federal return for the amount of the lost property value, which was in effect donated to the Georgia Land Trust.