Senior Georgia Governor Aide Also Lobbies for State Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies

Despite an ethics policy that bans even the appearance of a conflict of interest and requires “written approval” for waivers, two Kemp staffers – when asked by Hatewatch – said the governor’s office had no written record of Hughes’ conflict-of-interest disclosure.

Kemp’s press office told Hatewatch that senior staff in the administration knew of and approved Hughes’ activity. The relationship between Hughes, Frontline Policy Action and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s (GBMB) committee on public affairs raises questions about how the governor’s office enforces its ethics policy.

Frontline and GBMB are staples at the state Capitol and have lobbied Kemp and the state Legislature to adopt several far-right policies in recent years. Hatewatch previously reported on questions surrounding Frontline’s lobbying disclosures in the state.

Attending lobbying meetings

Hughes is not registered as a lobbyist in Georgia. In fact, he is employed as Kemp’s director of field operations, a position in which he manages interaction between the governor’s office and people across the state. Hughes has held the position since the start of Kemp’s administration in 2019, according to the governor’s office and state finance records.

But Hughes wears many hats. He is a board member of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Frontline Policy Council and its lobbying arm, Frontline Policy Action. He also serves as chair of the public affairs committee for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the lobbying arm of the state’s largest Baptist denomination. In 2019, he became publisher and editor of the Early County News, a Blakely, Georgia, newspaper in which he regularly authors a column. Hughes did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Hughes, though, has written in his newspaper column about his policy advocacy, his work with Frontline and his relationship with Kemp.

In a Sept. 21, 2021, editorial, Hughes wrote about hosting a Frontline event in Atlanta. “I’m forced to battle Atlanta far too often,” Hughes wrote. “The idea of staying there for a weekend is repulsive.” In the article, Hughes described Frontline as a “political organization fighting for Christian values in state government” and said, “I serve on the board of that organization.”

In an editorial published a week later, Hughes lauded his boss. “With Brian Kemp as governor, you have a rural Georgia advocate, defender and supporter in the State Capitol fighting for the things that matter to YOU!” Hughes said. “You might allege I am saying this because he is my boss,” Hughes writes, responding that “I have never been afraid to speak my mind and that is one of the reasons I have a job in the Kemp administration.”

In an April 2022 editorial, Hughes wrote: “I’ve worked for their [Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s] family. I’ve spent time in their home. I’ve traveled with them. I’ve eaten with them. I prayed with them. I’ve argued with them. I’ve cried with them. I’ve laughed with them. I’ve shared my life with the Kemp family.”

In a March 2023 editorial, Hughes recounted a “conversation in the State Capitol when I was advocating for a policy helpful to rural Southwest [REAL] Georgia,” and in a November 2022 editorial, Hughes recalled that “many of us were at the office late in the evenings” in the “early days of the Kemp administration.”

When asked via email to comment on Hughes’ role as field director, Kemp’s press secretary, Garrison Douglas, said: “Mr. Hughes coordinates and manages engagement with groups and individuals. He also provides operational and scheduling support for our office as we engage with people on location throughout the State.” But, Douglas said, “Mr. Hughes does not participate or play a role in policy development.”

Hatewatch previously reported on a series of emails between Kemp’s office and representatives of Frontline, GBMB and other conservative groups in the state. Prior to meeting with Kemp in 2022 and 2023, Frontline’s president, Cole Muzio, and GBMB’s registered lobbyist, Mike Griffin, sent emails listing multiple bills, laws or policies the groups wanted to discuss with the governor, including legislation to restrict abortion and the participation of transgender kids in public school sports.

In describing the purpose of the meetings, Muzio said in a Feb. 17, 2022, email that copied Hughes, “I think it’s helpful when we are all together to make sure we are all on the same page regarding these issues.” The email referenced five bills, by number, to discuss.

According to emails exchanged between Griffin and Kemp’s schedulers leading up to the meeting the following year, Griffin identifies Hughes as “Governor Kemp’s Staff Member and Chairman of the GBMB Public Affairs Committee” who would attend the upcoming meeting between the groups and the governor. That email also identified eight pieces of legislation the group wanted to discuss with the governor.

In a Feb. 2, 2023, message to Griffin and Hughes, Kemp’s scheduler advised them the governor would leave early, but Kemp’s policy director would “have the appropriate policy staff continue the conversation immediately following” the governor’s departure.

A picture shared by Frontline Policy Action on Facebook after the event confirms Hughes’, Muzio’s and Kemp’s attendance at the Feb. 15, 2023, meeting.

Georgia Baptist Mission Board did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

Frontline endorsed Hughes’ boss

In 2022, Frontline Policy Action endorsed Brian Kemp for governor during his reelection campaign and spent money to help ensure his victory. According to the group’s articles of incorporation on file with the Georgia secretary of state, the “control and management of the affairs of the corporation and the disposition of its funds and property shall be solely vested in the Board of Directors,” which includes Brad Hughes.

A 2022 blog post featuring a list of candidates supported by Frontline indicated that it is selective when making endorsements, only “get[ting] involved anytime there is a choice that stands about all the rest.”

“Frontline Policy Action does not endorse in every race,” the group said.

In September 2022, Frontline released a voter guide for the gubernatorial election comparing Kemp and challenger Stacey Abrams. The guide was published in two languages and includes the text “Paid for by Frontline Policy Action” at the bottom.

A review of Frontline’s social media activity shows that between Oct. 12 and Nov. 9, 2022, Frontline Policy Action funded 11 Facebook ads. Three of the ads supported Kemp or Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

The group’s spending on the platform was estimated at less than $100 for each Kemp-Jones ad, according to Facebook advertising data. The estimate does not include production costs.

One ad by Frontline Policy Action appearing between Oct. 19 and Nov. 8, 2022, featured a 30-second campaign video produced by Frontline Policy Action with photos of Kemp and Jones and a caption that read, “Vote Kemp Jones November 8” as a voiceover implored, “Let’s keep them fighting for fairness.” The video includes the caption “Paid for by Frontline Policy Action.” Another ad that featured a photo of Kemp and the caption “protect Georgia values” reached an estimated 15,000-20,000 adults in the state.

The group spent over $400 to share another Facebook ad that reached an estimated 125,000-150,000 adults in the state, according to Facebook’s data. The ad, which ran from Oct. 12 to Nov. 9, 2022, featured a picture of Abrams with the caption “You can help keep D.C. out of Georgia.”

A search of Frontline Policy Action’s campaign finance reports in 2022 shows the group reported one cash expenditure in support of Kemp’s reelection that year. The report, which was last amended in an October 2022 filing, shows the group spent $125 with Austin, Texas-based Resolve Campaigns LLC. According to the filing, the May 5, 2022, expenditure was for an “endorsement graphic” to support Kemp in the gubernatorial primary election.

According to state campaign finance records, in 2022, Frontline Policy Action disclosed no campaign expenditures with a transaction date after the end of May.

After Kemp won reelection, in a December 2022 editorial in the Early County News – in which he has a weekly column – Muzio wrote, “We survived the greatest threat to freedom our state has known in the modern era – Stacey Abrams.”

Frontline’s lobbying and spending to support Kemp’s reelection suggests Hughes had a professional conflict. Neither Hughes nor Kemp’s office responded to emailed questions seeking comment about allegations of a conflict of interest.

Governor’s office ethics policy

The governor’s ethics policy says employees “shall avoid conflicts of interest and shall make every effort to avoid a conflict of interest.” An appearance of conflict is defined as “when a reasonable person would conclude from the totality of the circumstances that the employee’s ability to protect the public interest, or perform public duties, is compromised by personal interests.”

Ethics guidelines implemented by Kemp require state employees who have “ongoing matters before the employee’s respective agency” to sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure form. According to the governor’s website, “Each employee must complete and return the Attestation [form] by June 30, 2021.”

Employees are also “responsible for updating and supplementing … the information contained within the disclosures and informing the agency ethics officer of any changed or new circumstances or potential conflicts at the time they arise” [emphasis in the original], according to the Department of Administrative Services website.

In addition to disclosing potential conflicts, state employees may be required to recuse themselves in “situations where such a conflict exists or where the employee’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned due to his or her relationship with a person or entity participating in a matter before the employee’s agency.”

In an email to Hatewatch, a Georgia public records officer said Hughes’ “disclosure of his [GBMB and Frontline] board service was not required to be in writing under the applicable provisions of the Ethics Order” and that copies of Hughes’ signed conflict-of-interest disclosure form “do not exist.”

When asked to clarify, Douglas said Hughes “advised senior staff” of his “uncompensated affiliation” with GBMB and Frontline and that it "was approved.” Douglas also told Hatewatch the approval was not required to be in writing.

According to the policy on the Administrative Services website, “All ethics officers report to the Governor’s Executive Counsel and are required to notify the Executive Counsel of any violation of the Code of Ethics within their respective agencies.” The policy also says that exemptions or waivers for the ethics code may be warranted under “unique or compelling circumstances.” In such cases, though, the policy says, “Prior written approval by the Ethics Officer is required, subject to review by the Executive Counsel.”

The governor’s executive counsel, Kristyn Long, did not respond directly to a phone message. Instead, a public records officer responding to Hatewatch’s message for Long confirmed that “per [Kemp’s] executive order,” Long is also the ethics officer for the Office of the Governor.

The public records officer directed Hatewatch’s questions about implementation of the ethics policy, including whether Hughes had been granted an exemption by Long, back to the press secretary.

Picture at top: Frontline Policy Action endorsed Brian Kemp for Georgia governor during his reelection campaign in 2022. Emails from a public records request show Kemp’s field director is affiliated with Frontline Policy Action and has attended policy meetings between the governor and the political group in a possible professional conflict.