U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.— ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee– wants President Donald Trump to withdraw the nomination of Georgia businessman and former state legislator Mark Burkhalter to be U.S. Ambassador to Norway. Yet some prominent Georgia Democrats say Burkhalter is highly qualified and push back at Menendez’s accusation that Burkhalter failed to disclose “his involvement in a lawsuit and ethics investigation .. related to his role in the production of a racist campaign flyer.”
Mark Burkhalter
In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Menendez wrote:
“According to public court filings, in 1994, Mr. Burkhalter was involved in the production of a racist campaign flyer— distributed just days before an election (in Fulton County) — that distorted the image of an African-American political candidate, Gordon Joyner, by darkening certain of his features, giving him a prominent ‘afro’ that he did not have, making his lip thicker, and warping the appearance of one of his eyes.
“Mr. Burkhalter was subsequently deposed in that (libel) suit, and according to court filings citing his and other depositions, he delivered the materials for the flyer … (and) later settled and signed a letter taking full responsibility. …”
“Given the attention to the case at the time and the consequences to Mr. Burkhalter’s reputation and position as a result of the litigation and ethics complaint, any claim that Mr. Burkhalter merely forgot these events strains credulity.”
Burkhalter is unavailable for comment during the nomination process, but InsiderAdvantage interviewed some of his political allies from the 1994 election cycle. They don’t deny that Burkhalter actively served on a committee to defeat incumbent Fulton Commissioner Joyner and knew of the flyer being prepared. Yet they testify that he didn’t see the final product, never knew it was altered until after the fact and that he would have opposed it. And he felt he should apologize for it anyway. (At the time, and during the lawsuit, the consultant who prepared the flyer for the committee was blamed for changing the picture without permission.)
Responding to the allegation that Burkhalter engaged in a “racist” mailing, former Democratic Party Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives Terry Coleman told InsiderAdvantage:
“I have known Mark Burkhalter as a friend and fellow legislator for 30 years. During that time, I have never seen anything from him but concern and compassion for all of our fellow Georgians. He demonstrated that by being one of the few Republicans who voted to change the Georgia flag (by removing a Confederate emblem). Mark Burkhalter also carried the legislation to enable the creation of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
“I’m disappointed that Sen. Menendez, a victim of claims of misconduct himself, would take the stance he has without knowing Mark Burkhalter.”
Furthermore, the black Democratic chairman of the Fulton County Commission, Robb Pitts, sent a letter to Menendez flatly declaring that he supports Burkhalter’s nomination, having known him for a long time.
Burkhalter’s nomination is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and is supported by both Georgia’s senators, David Perdue
and Kelly Loeffler.
