Politics

Jon Ossoff Blows Off Jake Tapper’s Challenge To Claim That Kelly Loeffler ‘Campaigned With A Klansman’

Jake Tapper speaks with Jon Ossoff on
Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Democratic Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff dodged a challenge from CNN anchor Jake Tapper during a Sunday morning appearance on “State of the Union.”

Tapper disputed Ossoff’s repeated claims that Republican Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler — who is running against Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock — had “campaigned with a Klansman.” (RELATED: Twitter Refuses To Flag Ossoff’s False Accusation Against Loeffler)

WATCH:

Tapper began by noting that Ossoff’s claim had been refuted by Loeffler’s campaign, saying that while a known white supremacist had taken a photo with her at a campaign event, Loeffler had been unaware of his identity at the time and had condemned him as soon as she learned who he was.

“It’s not true … I’m sure you’ve taken photos with thousands of strangers. Isn’t it important for candidates to tell the truth?” Tapper pressed. (RELATED: Jake Tapper Unloads On Donald Trump: ‘I Don’t Think We As A Nation Have Ever Seen Someone Lose So Spectacularly’)

“It is,” Ossoff agreed, but he made no move to correct his statement. Instead, he continued to attack Loeffler, claiming that it was not an “isolated incident.”

“Kelly Loeffler has repeatedly posed for photographs and been seen campaigning alongside radical white supremacists and I believe they are drawn to her campaign because her campaign has consisted almost entirely of racist attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement and on the Black church,” Ossoff continued, arguing that there must be a reason that such elements would be “drawn to her.”

Ossoff went onto suggest that both Loeffler and his own opponent, Republican Georgia Sen. David Perdue, were actively trying to suppress the Black vote in their state.

“To be clear she was not campaigning with a Klansman, it is not true what you just said,” Tapper repeated.

Ossoff has continued to repeat his claim despite pushback from Loeffler and others.