Kelly Loeffler Poses for Photo with a Neo-Nazi
Scroll to the bottom for a full timeline of Doles’ known interactions with Sen. Loeffler’s campaign
On Friday, December 11, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) posed for a photo with Chester Doles, a neo-Nazi, who posted it on the Russian social media platform VK (short for VKontakte).
Doles is a former KKK leader who went to prison after nearly beating a Black man to death in 1993. In the early 2000s, he organized with the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group. In 2017, Doles marched in Charlottesville at Unite the Right with fellow neo-Nazis and far-right groups. He founded and now leads “American Patriots USA,” which promotes the same white supremacist ideology under a thin veil of patriotism.
Doles has orbited and tried to insert himself into Georgia Republican politics for some time. He previously met and posed for photos with Georgia House Rep. Matt Gurtler (R) and Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
In May of 2020, Greene’s campaign dismissed questions about a photo of her with Doles, calling the concerns “silly” and the Atlanta Journal Constitution “fake news” for inquiring about her association with a neo-Nazi. After winning her Republican primary, Greene tried to distance herself from Doles. When he attended a joint rally she held with Loeffler in late September, Greene’s staff had him removed. "He is not welcome at any events I attend” Greene claimed, later adding “I don’t know him.”
At the time, Loeffler’s campaign said she didn’t know who Doles was. A campaign spokesperson repeated that excuse again after the photo of Loeffler with Doles went viral several months later. “Kelly had no idea who that 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.” While Loeffler’s campaign condemned Doles after the fact, the campaign has not condemned other white supremacist and Nazi-sympathizing figures with whom she has associated, such as Jack Posobiec. On the contrary, Loeffler herself has defended Posobiec, who is known for harassing Jewish journalists online, collaborating with figures like neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, and supporting far-right neo-fascist groups in Poland.
It is unclear why Loeffler campaign staffers were not on alert for Doles, given his tendency of attending events and taking photos with Republican politicians, as well as his removal from the September rally. Doles is a known figure in Georgia politics, and has “white power” tattooed on his knuckles, making it even less plausible that campaign staff would have no idea who he was.
Regardless of staffers’ knowledge of Doles’ history, it is not happenstance that a neo-Nazi would be attracted to Loeffler’s campaign, which has centered around a platform of fear and division — all to distract from her own greed and ethics inquiries.
Timeline of Doles’ interactions with the Loeffler campaign:
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
On September 3, 2020, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) held a campaign event with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) in Gilmer County, GA. Roughly 70 people were in attendance, according to a livestream from a local reporter with the right-wing outlet FetchYourNews.
At least two of those 70 people were members of APUSA: The group’s founder and president, Doles, and Vice President / Lumpkin County Coordinator, Joshua Mote. Doles has since told journalist Judd Legum that he was at the event, providing security for Loeffler, and holding an APUSA sign. Mote posed for photos with Sens. Loeffler and Cotton at the event, which Doles subsequently posted on his social media account:
Doles provided more details on APUSA’s interaction with Loeffler in his caption for the photo: “Our VP Josh Mote with Sen. Kelly Loeffler. We had dinner. BLM/Antifa tried to drive her off the stage in Cumming. We showed up at her next few stops. Rest of her day was peaceful.” (See here for background on what happened at the Cumming campaign stop)
Mote, pictured above with Sens. Loeffler and Cotton, has been an active leader of APUSA for some time. Doles’ social media shows numerous photos of the two together with other APUSA members — several of whom are also affiliated with or members of the KKK — as well as a photo of Mote with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
Joshua Mote and Chester Doles with who appears to be GA State Rep. Vernon Jones (R). (Jones appears in multiple other photos with Doles, taken on at least three different occasions).
Joshua Mote, GA State Rep. Matt Gurtler (R), white supremacist Sean Keena, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
SEPTEMBER 19, 2020
On September 19, 2020, roughly two weeks later, Doles attended another Loeffler campaign event — a joint rally with then-candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene in Ringgold, GA. In a notable shift from laughing off concerns about Doles several months prior, Greene had Doles removed. "I don’t know him” said Greene. At the time, Loeffler’s campaign staff said she did not know Doles either.
DECEMBER 11, 2020
On December 11, 2020, Doles attended another Loeffler event, taking a now-infamous photo with her. Loeffler’s campaign again claimed that she did not know who Doles was.