The AJC recently did a story on the apparent dead end to the Obama nomination of GALEO’s Dax Lopez for federal judge. Jerry Gonzalez, the GALEO Executive Director – and former MALDEF stooge – didn’t let anyone down. We post a small part of the AJC story (paywall) below along with some educated insight.

Georgia Latino’s court nomination appears in peril over immigration 

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

By Daniel Malloy – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON —
Five months after President Barack Obama picked Dax Lopez to be Georgia’s first lifetime-appointed Latino federal judge, his nomination is on the ropes because of the thorny politics of immigration.

Georgia Republican U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Johnny Isakson have yet to sign off on the DeKalb County State Court judge to move forward in the Senate, as Lopez has been under attack from conservative activists for his membership in a Georgia advocacy group that has fought immigration restrictions.

+Georgia Latino’s court nomination appears in peril over immigration photo
Dax E. Lopez, a DeKalb County State Court judge, has been nominated to the federal bench. But five months after the … Read More
Immigration is a powerful issue for the Republican base, particularly at a time when Donald Trump — he of the mass deportations and the magnificent Mexican border wall — is leading the presidential primary in Georgia and nationally. Perdue campaigned for his first-term win in 2014 opposing any sort of “amnesty” for immigrants here illegally, and Isakson is up for re-election in 2016.

Lopez, meanwhile, sat on the board of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, which supports a path to citizenship for people here illegally. It also has fought tougher state laws on immigration and praised local sheriffs who refused federal “hold” requests for immigrants.

“There would be a political price to pay for either conservative United States senator, one of them running for re-election, letting it go to the committee process with everything that’s been revealed about GALEO,” said D.A. King, an activist who has led the charge against Lopez.

But the price could come due either way.

“Latinos in Georgia are looking at this very closely,” said Jerry Gonzalez, the executive director of GALEO.

“Caught up in Senate process

*After Lopez was appointed a judge in 2010 by Gov. Sonny Perdue, he abstained from GALEO’s policy votes and fundraising, Gonzalez said.”

Uh, uh. Nope. (We hope you read the rest of the report.)

Always loose with that inconvenient truth, GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez has misled the AJC reporter, Daniel Malloy here.

As anyone (but likely not the AJC’s Politifact editors) will see, according to GALEO’s online invitation Dax Lopez was the keynote speaker at the May, 2011 8th annual GALEO “Power Breakfast” – which GALEO describes as “one of the principle fundraising events for GALEO & the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund.”

Lopez was appointed to state court in August, 2010.

May, 2011 is after August 2010. Keynote speakers serve as the draw for attendees (donors) to fundraisers and help the corporation increase attendance and thereby operating revenue.

Judge Dax Lopez helped anti-enforcement GALEO Inc. raise money well after he was on the bench. And Jerry Gonzalez is well aware of that fact when he spoke to the AJC’s Malloy.

Jerry Gonzalez. Pants on Fire.