Fact Checking: Tony Kozycki Responds to Rich McCormick | Appen Media's Georgia Politics Podcast

Last week, Rich McCormick sat down on this podcast and talked directly to me. He wouldn't do it on a debate stage, so I'm answering here. Thank you to Lyndsey Coates and Appen Media for having me on Georgia Politics to set the record straight. We started with big news in the Godfrey Wade case. Godfrey is an Army veteran and a green card holder who lived here for 50 years, and he was deported without ever seeing a judge. This is the case that got me into this race. Last week, the court lifted the 20-year-old conviction behind his deportation and reopened his case. I'm not going to stop fighting for Godfrey. From there we covered a lot of ground. We talked about what military service actually teaches you about leadership and standing up when something is wrong. We talked about the six-county debate series Rich keeps ducking, and why Georgia's Medicaid work requirements are leaving special needs families confused and scared. We talked about what's really happening to our alliances with Australia, Canada, the UK and NATO, and why China and Russia are the ones celebrating. We also talked about Rich's record of voting in lockstep with Donald Trump, and why I'm proud to be on the side of history that fights to get our country back. We also had some fun in the lightning round. I talked about my first political memory, the movie my family watches every Christmas, the story behind my Navy call sign, and my Waffle House order. Rich, you've been invited to the October 15th debate in Fulton County, hosted by the NAACP. If you don't like that one, pick the date. You don't owe me a debate. You owe this community one. Early voting starts October 13th. Election Day is November 3rd. Learn more and get involved at KozyckiForCongress.com. Timecodes: 00:00 – Welcome and why we're rebutting Rich McCormick's interview 01:06 – Who I am: Johns Creek dad, Naval Academy, F/A-18 combat deployments, immigration attorney 02:23 – The Godfrey Wade case: a veteran deported without a day in court 06:08 – A bounced check from 20 years ago, and last week's big win: conviction lifted, case reopened 08:25 – Two veterans, two very different paths: Naval Academy values and the moral compass 10:20 – "Communist"? Small business, free markets and crony capitalism 13:21 – The debate series: how we invited Rich, and how he went silent 16:30 – Why Appen Media's hosts were invited to co-moderate 19:50 – Upcoming debates, including October 15th in Fulton County with the NAACP 20:52 – The Roswell town hall, DOGE cuts and NIH research 23:00 – Medicaid, Georgia's work requirements and my family's time on school lunch 26:00 – Special needs families and Department of Education cuts 29:13 – Trump foreign policy: damaged alliances and the pivot away from the Pacific 34:18 – Career politics, CAIR's condemnation and Rich's canceled Muslim community town hall 36:58 – "Wealthiest district," but can anyone name a vote where Rich broke with Trump? 38:42 – Where Trump had good ideas, and where it went wrong 39:12 – The midterm wave, health care costs, and bringing the GOP back to the middle 41:56 – "The wrong side of history": what I'll tell my kids 45:00 – Partisanship, the socialism label and keeping the focus on GA-07 47:10 – Lightning round: first political memory, favorite movie, favorite Muppet 49:23 – My Navy call sign (and how I earned it) 50:25 – Waffle House order 50:57 – Early voting dates and a direct debate challenge to Rich McCormick