ICYMI: Warnock Steered $16 Million to Project That Benefited Co-Owner of Church’s Controversial Apartment Complex

On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, Team Herschel released the following statement highlighting an article from The Washington Free Beacon titled 'Warnock Steered $16 Million to Project That Benefited Co-Owner of Church’s Controversial Apartment Complex.'

Georgia Democratic senator Raphael Warnock steered $16.4 million in federal earmarks to a project that benefited the co-owner of his controversial lowincome apartment complex.

'The funding was intended to construct a trail connecting a residential and commercial complex known as 'Pittsburgh Yards' with other portions of Atlanta's BeltLine. The developer of Pittsburgh Yards is Columbia Ventures, part of the Columbia group of companies that co-owns and operates a low-income housing complex with Warnock's church.

'The funding raises questions about whether Warnock's business relationship with Columbia had any bearing on his funding decision. Warnock did not respond to a request for comment.

'Warnock's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he serves as senior pastor and CEO, in 2005 'formed a partnership with Columbia Residential to rehabilitate [a] dilapidated high-rise' and turned the building into low-income apartments. Ebenezer and Columbia are co-owners of the business through a joint venture, with Ebenezer owning 99 percent and Columbia owning the remaining 1 percent, according to a state grant application filed by the entities in August.

'Last November, Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) announced that they had helped secure the funding for the trail project, which would 'construct approximately two miles of continued from page

the Southside Trail component of the Atlanta Belt-Line from Pittsburgh Yards to Boulevard Crossing Park.'' 'Raphael Warnock is a corrupt hypocrite who only cares about himself, not the people of Georgia,' said campaign spokesman Will Kiley.

'Warnock lines his pockets and the pockets of his allies while attempting to evict low-income tenants in the building he oversees. Since coming to office, Warnock has doubled his income while Georgia families struggle to make ends meet. Raphael Warnock needs to be held accountable by the 'media' and the people of Georgia for his lies.'