Former Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell infamously declared during her 2010 campaign that she was “not a witch” but on Friday told a judge that she now believes she is the victim of a “witch hunt.”
O’Donnell made the comments in response to a lawsuit from the Federal Election Commission that says she improperly used campaign funds for personal expenses.
According to the Associated Press, the “lawsuit claims O’Donnell used at least $20,000 in campaign contributions to pay bills at a town house that also served as her 2010 Senate campaign headquarters…O’Donnell, a Republican, claims she did nothing wrong. She argues that campaigns are allowed to lease headquarters space and are not prohibited from subleasing space to a candidate for a residence.”
In 2010, O’Donnell pulled off a surprise primary victory against Delaware Republican Rep. Mike Castle with the aid of tea partiers from across the country. She went on to lose in the general election to now Democratic Sen. Chris Coons.
During the campaign, O’Donnell released an ad responding to her well-publicized comments as a political commentator quipping that she once “dabbled in witchcraft.”
“I’m not a witch,” O’Donnell said in the ad. “I’m nothing you’ve heard. I’m you.”