Georgia lawsuit ‘consistent’ with Biden’s fight for voting rights, White House says

The White House was not involved in a Justice Department decision to sue Georgia over a restrictive Republican-backed voting law, but supports the move as “consistent” with the Biden administration’s fight to protect voting rights, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

“That was an announcement they made on their own,” Psaki told reporters, “but it certainly is consistent with the president’s commitment to the administration, and the guidance he’s given publicly and directly, to use every lever at our disposal to ensure we are protecting the fundamental right to vote across the country.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that the Justice Department would sue Georgia over its new law under the Voting Rights Act, and that other states viewed as violating civil rights laws would come under similar scrutiny.

The new lawsuit marked an escalation in the Biden administration’s push to thwart measures pushed by Republicans at the state level that would restrict voting across the country.

Psaki said that Biden would address voting rights in greater detail in a speech next week. Democratic efforts to pass federal election reform legislation have stalled on Capitol Hill.

“This is going to be a fight of his presidency,” Psaki said. “If you have such a fear of making it easier and more accessible for people to vote, I would ask you what you’re so afraid of.”

The Republican National Committee responded to the lawsuit Friday by accusing Biden of “weaponizing” the Justice Department.

Former President Donald Trump responded to the lawsuit in a statement by repeating his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him in Georgia and other states.