Kelly Loeffler Refuses to Comment on Her Ties to White Supremacists During Debate

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) repeatedly used multiple racist and antisemitic dog whistles during her Senate run-off debate with Democratic challenger Reverend Raphael Warnock.

Rev. Warnock is the Senior Pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the same position once held by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Loeffler was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp after her predecessor resigned. She is the wealthiest member of Congress. During her ten months in office, Loeffler made headlines for offloading millions in stocks immediately after receiving a private briefing about COVID-19 — all while downplaying the severity of the pandemic to the public.

Loeffler spent the summer of 2020 attacking the Black Lives Matter movement with false accusations of antisemitism, including during an interview with Jack Posobiec, a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer. During the general election, Loeffler welcomed the support of and campaigned alongside Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene is a QAnon supporter who has shared white supremacist propaganda, stated that she does not believe Muslims should hold elected office, regularly promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, and laughed off concerns about a former KKK leader with whom she met. Warnock brought both of these relationships up during the debate:

“She says she is against racism and that racism has no place, but she welcomed the support of a QAnon conspiracy theorist, and she sat down with a white supremacist for an interview. I don’t think she can explain that.”

Warnock was correct; Loeffler could not explain it. She claimed “there’s not a racist bone in my body,” despite the fact that her entire method of attack against Warnock is, at its core, racist.

Loeffler also used antisemitism in her attacks. Her opening and closing statements invoked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is Jewish, warning that Schumer wanted to “take Georgia” to “change America,” accusing him of trying to “defund the police” and “open our borders.” These sentiments evoked tropes about Jewish power and control of progressive movements. (Schumer was frequently cited in Republican Senate campaigns during the 2020 general election cycle, often portrayed as a shadowy and nefarious figure, a depiction reminiscent of antisemitic caricatures).

Loeffler mentioned Schumer nine times during the debate. Roughly twenty minutes in, she said, “radical liberal Raphael Warnock would be a rubber stamp for Chuck Schumer, because he’s bought and paid for by tens of millions of dollars from out of state, dark liberal money from Chuck Schumer.” The idea that Jews are secretly using money to control and direct the actions of Black people is an antisemitic and racist conspiracy theory — one made stark in ugly cartoons popular with white supremacists.

During the debate, Loeffler repeatedly characterized Warnock as a “radical liberal” a “socialist” and called on him to “renounce socialism and Marxism.” These characterizations and demands do not accurately depict Warnock’s political positions. They are the same dog whistles that were used to blacklist Jews during the Red Scare: In the 1940s and 1950s, the House committee charged with investigating “Un-American Activities” targeted Jews, particularly those working in Hollywood, media, and entertainment. In the 1960s, similar accusations were made against leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. A 1968 FBI report made public in 2017 described Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as “a whole-hearted Marxist who has studied [Marxism], believes in it and agrees with it.” The same document also focused on Stanley Levison, an advisor to MLK who had previously helped to finance the Communist Party. Levison was Jewish, and the FBI claimed he influenced MLK to embrace communism. A leading MLK historian said that the FBI “incredibly exaggerated statements of communist influence” and much of the FBI’s opposition research on MLK has since been widely understood as part of a smear campaign against the civil rights hero.

This is the legacy Loeffler is building upon — accusing powerful Black faith and political leaders of having communist sympathies, and emphasizing the influence of Jewish financiers on their campaigns. The FBI’s targets were MLK and Levison. Loeffler’s targets are Warnock and George Soros.

Despite using antisemitic dog whistles throughout the debate Loeffler falsely accused Warnock of antisemitism, repeating talking points and disinformation she has used in attack advertisements against him. These attacks mirror the false accusations Loeffler made against the Black Lives Matter movement over the summer of 2020. Loeffler’s false accusations of antisemitism put Jews in the stereotypical “middleman” position, using Jews to attack Black leaders and movements. Attempting to divide Jewish and Black communities (note: these communities are not mutually exclusive) is anti-Black and antisemitic.