Donald Trump

‘Pizzagate' Figures to Fundraise for Supporter, a Would-Be Senator

Joe Mandel is making his second consecutive bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, this time around employing some of the campaign tactics used successfully by GOP President Donald Trump

Two right-wing activists who Ohio Republican Josh Mandel defended this summer against labeling by an anti-hate group have launched a super PAC backing his bid for U.S. Senate.

Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec are among founders of the political action committee launched Monday.

Both men were involved in the conspiracy theory dubbed "pizzagate," which suggested Hillary Clinton was running a pedophile ring out of a pizzeria.

A message was left Tuesday with Mandel's campaign seeking comment on the PAC's plans to support him.

Mandel, Ohio's state treasurer, retweeted a Twitter post by Cernovich in July that accused the Anti-Defamation League of "inciting terrorism" with a report identifying members of the "alt-right" and "alt-lite" movements.

It identified Cernovich and Posobiec as "alt-lite," which the ADL defines as rejecting overtly white supremacist ideology, but embracing misogyny and xenophobia.

Mandel is making his second consecutive bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, this time around employing some of the campaign tactics used successfully by GOP President Donald Trump.

Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons is challenging Mandel in the Republican primary.

Mandel's tweet in July cast the League's identification of a list of key figures in the right-wing factions energized by Trump's election as politically slanted labeling.

"Sad to see (the league) become a partisan witch-hunt group targeting people for political beliefs," Mandel posted.

The league stood by its decision to identify both men as major figures in the burgeoning "alt-lite" movement, which bears similarities but is less staunch than what's called "alt-right," or alternative right. It said its work is aimed at stopping defamation not by politics.

A campaign spokeswoman for Mandel, who is Jewish and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, retorted that "the ADL is dead wrong for creating hit lists on American citizens."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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