Witness says Georgia lawmaker was the one who told man, 'Go back'

Racial hoax? Witness says lawmaker's 'go back' claim is not what it appears
The Georgia Democratic lawmaker who went viral with her claim that she was told to "go back where you came from" at a grocery store was actually the person who made the statement, a Tuesday report said, citing witnesses. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a police report documented witness testimonials who claimed they watched the altercation between state Rep. Erica Thomas and Eric Sparkes. Thomas took to social media to claim that Sparkes berated her for using the express lane with more than 10 items. At one point in the interaction, she claimed that he told her to "go back where you came from" -- a phrase that has been publicized in the media amid President Trump's ongoing feud with the four progressive congresswomen - Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

Sparkes admitted to calling her an expletive but denied Thomas' other claim. Gerald Griggs, Thomas' attorney, told the AJC that the officer's report does not tell the entire story because the two witnesses "didn't hear the initial argument. According to the AJC, a Publix employee told a Cobb County deputy that she witnessed Thomas "continuously tell Eric Sparkes to ‘Go back where you came from,’” not vice versa.