This is the first time Perdue has been forced to answer for his anti-Semitic ad that “lengthened and widened” the nose of his opponent Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish
Multiple graphic design experts told “The Forward” only Ossoff’s nose had been doctored
Perdue did not address calls to donate money earned from the ad to an organization combating hate
Atlanta, Ga. — This morning on Fox News’ “Cavuto Live,” when asked for the first time about the anti-Semitic fundraising ad his campaign ran against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) laughed off the accusation, then claimed he was the true victim of the scandal and implied having previously traveled to Israel on a Congressional junket excused his actions.
An investigation in late July from The Forward found the Perdue campaign was running a digital ad that “lengthened and widened” Ossoff’s nose while “other parts of his face stayed the same size and proportions.”
Perdue immediately went into hiding and had not addressed the ad, which was widely denounced as anti-Semitic, until today.
In his first comments since the incident, he failed to take any responsibility for the ad and failed to offer the apology to Georgia’s Jewish community that has been demanded by non-partisan groups like the American Jewish Committee.
Ossoff has called on Perdue to donate funds the Senator raised with a doctored image of Ossoff’s face to a nonpartisan organization that promotes community healing and combats hate. Senator Perdue has never responded.
Worse, when asked about it today, Perdue laughed at the accusation, claimed he was the real victim, and implied having traveled to Israel on a Congressional junket excused his campaign’s misconduct:
“This is not the first time a friend of Israel or a friend of the Jewish people has been victimized, falsely,” Perdue said.
WATCH:
In response, Ossoff communications director Miryam Lipper released the following statement:
“For Senator Perdue to claim victimhood here is preposterous and outright disgusting. And a trip to Israel doesn’t excuse anti-Semitic campaign tactics. The Senator’s campaign ad enlarged Jon’s nose, which is the oldest, most obvious, least original anti-Semitic trope in history, and Senator Perdue’s refusal to apologize to Georgia’s Jewish community or even acknowledge that he caused pain here is shameful and shameless. Georgia deserves better.”
Jewish groups across the country have spoken out about the anti-Semitic ad and called for Perdue to apologize.
After the ad was exposed, Anti-Defamation League spokesperson Allison Padilla-Goodman said in a statement, “The use of antisemitic tropes to embarrass political opponents allows antisemites to hide behind politics … Please, leave antisemitic stereotypes and language out of our state’s efforts to elect our leaders and build a better Georgia.”
And Dov Wilker, who oversees the Atlanta chapter of the American Jewish Committee, said, “We were shocked to see Senator Perdue’s ad and to learn that Jon Ossoff’s nose had been altered. This along with the reference to a Jewish senator and references to ‘buying Georgia’ evokes antisemitic imagery that is best confined to the dustbin of history. We call upon the Senator to apologize and would be happy to meet with him and his staff to discuss anti-Semitism and its steady rise at home and abroad.”
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