Unethical behavior and crimes alleged against Columbus area congressional candidate
A former congressional candidate for the Republican nomination to represent Georgia District 2 has alleged that one of the GOP candidates in next month’s runoff has a “significant” criminal background, demonstrated “financial irresponsibility” and made “unethical” proposals to collude during the primary campaign.
Michael Nixon made these allegations against Charles “Chuck” Hand III during a news conference Wednesday in Columbus.
The Ledger-Enquirer asked Hand for his response. Hand wrote in an emailed reply, “This is politics. But that doesn’t make it right. And Michael Nixon will have a stain on his name in District 2 because of it. I don’t expect anything less coming from ruling class country club elites.”
Nixon, a purchasing director from Colquitt County, finished third out of four candidates in the Republican primary May 21. Hand, a construction superintendent from Taylor County, finished second and will face Wayne Johnson, a businessman from Bibb County, in the June 18 runoff.
The winner will represent the GOP in the Nov. 5 general election against the Democratic incumbent, Sanford Bishop of Albany, a former attorney.
Nixon provided reporters a written summary of an investigation he said he paid Macon law firm Cooper, Barton & Cooper to conduct about Hand’s background. The investigation, according to the summary, found that Hand was:
- Arrested for criminal trespass in 2005 and pleaded guilty.
- Arrested for driving under the influence in 2010 and pleaded guilty.
- Filed for bankruptcy in 2022. The court’s decree canceled his debts, including personal loans with credit unions, banks and credit cards.
Multiple media outlets reported that Hand pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and admitted to breaking a piece of metal fencing and illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He was sentenced to 20 days of incarceration.
The Cooper, Barton & Cooper’s citation of Hand’s arrests in 2005 and 2010 come from the January 2023 sentencing memorandum in the U.S. District Court for his involvement in the insurrection at the Capitol.
His 2005 guilty plea to the criminal trespass charge resulted in the imposition of restitution and fees, and this 2010 guilty plea resulted in the imposition of fees, according to the 2023 court document.
But the law firm didn’t provide copies or links to the original court documents or arrest reports for the 2005 and 2010 cases, and the Ledger-Enquirer didn’t obtain them before publication.
Hand provided some details in his email to the L-E.
“I have 2 misdemeanor convictions on my record, one in my youth for criminal trespass and one one as an adult for protesting the stolen election of 2020,” he wrote. “Both were for taking up for those whom didn’t have the courage to take up for themselves.”
Campaign allegations
Nixon also accused Hand of “unethical behavior” during the campaign.
“He suggested that we make a pact to exchange job offers if either of us were to win the election,” Nixon said. “This attempt to manipulate the outcome for personal gain rather than serve the best interests of the community was a clear indicator of his questionable ethical standards.”
Nixon also alleged Hand proposed to “pre-plan and coordinate our answers to certain questions in order to deceive the voters. Such deceitful practices not only undermine the democratic process but also betray the trust of the constituents who rely on honest and transparent communication from their candidates.”
Asked whether those accusations are true, Hand wrote in his email to the L-E, “The answer is a resounding NO. It’s lies coming from a sore loser.”
Why he is speaking out now
The information about Hand’s criminal and financial background came to Nixon via email from “concerned citizens” six weeks ago, he said. Nixon explained why he is speaking out now, after he was eliminated from the race in the May 21 primary.
“I did not wish to be viewed as negative about another Republican candidate whom I was personally running against,” he said. “Also, I did have belief that this information would be discovered by voters as they went about researching each of the candidates. Unfortunately, it did not.”
So, with the June 18 runoff looming, Nixon said he doesn’t want the GOP to nominate a candidate with a suspect background the Democrats could exploit with attack ads.
“I am compelled to make sure that voters are aware of the character of the candidates they will be voting for,” he said.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 5:23 PM.
