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Georgia child welfare leader denies she asked judges to illegally detain children in juvenile jails

Georgia Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce, right, testifies in favor of a bill that would slow the flow of children into foster care on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, at the Capitol in Atlanta. Lawmakers say they plan to rewrite the bill after others raised concerns. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
Jeff Amy/AP
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AP
Georgia Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce, right, testifies in favor of a bill that would slow the flow of children into foster care on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, at the Capitol in Atlanta. Lawmakers say they plan to rewrite the bill after others raised concerns.

Georgia’s human services commissioner is firing back at an inquiry into the state’s foster care system. In a letter Tuesday, lawyers hired by the state accuse Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of pursuing the investigation for political ends.
The letter disputes testimony Monday by two Georgia juvenile judges who said Department of Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce asked them to violate state law by inappropriately placing some children in juvenile jails. A lawyer says Broce never did that. The department also disputes other parts of Ossoff’s inquiry.

Ossoff spokesperson Jake Best says the U.S. Senate Judiciary Human Rights Subcommittee looks forward to interviewing employees of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services about the judges’ testimony.