Speaking to more than 100 police officers Saturday morning, U.S. Rep. Doug Collins renewed his call for Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard to step aside during the investigation into the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta.
Collins, who is also running for U.S. Senate, said Howard's charging of the two officers involved in the case was politically motivated. Howard is entering a runoff against a challenger to keep his seat for a seventh term.
“You don’t do it for politics. Your job is to find justice for everyone,” Collins said atop the parking deck next to the Atlanta police headquarters downtown. He said an independent prosecutor should take over the case.
“We haven’t forgotten you,” Collins told the crowd.
His remarks about Howard drew loud cheers from the law enforcement officers at the rally, several of whom were in uniform.
Early Saturday afternoon, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr tweeted a link to a previous statement outlining that his office has the legal authority to appoint another prosecutor to a case only if a court disqualifies the DA or if the DA recuses himself or herself. Carr's statement did not specifically mention Howard or the Brooks case.