Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler appears to have a habit of taking pictures with extremists, propagandists and white supremacists. Earlier this week, Loeffler faced criticism for taking a picture with a noted neo-Nazi named Chester Doles. The former Ku Klux Klansman posted a photo of himself and the Senator on December 11 after meeting her at a campaign event in December. Immediately after the photo circulated through social media, Loeffler's Georgia spokesperson Stephen Lawson issued a statement.
“[Kelly Loeffler] had no idea who [Doles] was and if she had she would have kicked him out immediately because we condemn in the most vociferous terms everything that he stands for," Lawson stated.
Further examination of Loeffler's social media footprint found that she has a habit of taking photos with far-right extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists. In September, she posed for a photo with Sen. Tom Cotton and Joshua Mote. Mote works as a Lumpkin County coordinator for American Patriots USA, a Georgia extremist group led by Doles. When the photo made the rounds on social media, Lawson issued a statement defending the Senator..
“Sen. Loeffler denounces all forms of hate,” he said.
“But sadly, this is another fake news attack from the totally discredited Southern Poverty Law Center and their friends in the liberal media.”
One month earlier, Loeffler sat down for an interview with One America News Network host Jack Posobiec. Posobiec is a noted neo-Nazi associate and MAGA propagandist. Most notably, he has worked with Richard Spencer, who helped organize the 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“I joined Jack Posobiec on One America News Network to discuss why I had to call out the [Black Lives Matter] political organization — and why the woke mob is trying to cancel me,” Loeffler tweeted.
Loeffler has also met up with far-right militia groups like the Georgia III% Martyrs and QAnon propagandists like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Over time, her association and meet ups with extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists has led many to the conclusion that this is not a coincidence, but rather a trend.
“Sen. Loeffler’s claim to disavow the former KKK leader she posed with rings hollow given her repeated attacks on Black activists and her association with other politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene who use racism and antisemitism to spread division and hate,” Victoria Raggs of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Atlanta said.
"Loeffler has clearly made tying herself to extremists part of her electoral strategy, [so that she can] distract from her own greed and ethics inquiries for illegally profiting off of a pandemic.”
Despite her concerning connections and associations, Loeffler continues to charge forward with her Senate campaign. Voters in Georgia will let their voices be heard for the final time on January 5.
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