USA30 July, 20263 min read
Mike Collins Ends Georgia Press Conference After Refusing Questions About Son-In-Law David Alan Scheer II
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Collins ended the press conference after dodging questions about his son-in-law's white nationalist ties. David Alan Scheer II, his son-in-law, promoted white nationalist ideology and circulated antisemitic content online.
Collins ends Georgia briefing
Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins ended a press conference on Thursday at Monroe County Hospital in Georgia after repeatedly declining to answer questions about his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, who promoted white nationalist ideology and disseminated antisemitic content online.
CNN reported Collins was appearing at the hospital to outline his health care priorities while reporters pressed him on whether Scheer had done business or campaign work for him.
Collins said the issue had been “fully addressed” and pivoted to attacking Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, while CNN said Scheer is married to Collins’ daughter, Summer.
In Washington, DC, Ossoff criticized Collins for refusing to answer whether he or his businesses paid Scheer, and CNN said Ossoff called it “neo-Nazi” work that Collins would not address.
Fox 5 Atlanta described Collins as brushing off questions about alleged campaign connections to white nationalism during the Monroe, Ga. news conference, attempting to redirect focus toward Ossoff’s legislative record.
Ossoff demands answers
Ossoff accused Collins of taking positions on transgender rights, federal spending, immigration, and policy toward keeping peace with radical anti-Israel extremists, and the report said Ossoff also demanded answers about why Collins would not disclose whether he or his businesses paid Scheer.
In Georgia, Collins told reporters, "You know we fully addressed that, but Jon Ossoff refuses to disavow these democratic socialist movements in our country," as Fox 5 Atlanta said he tried to pivot away from the controversy.
CNN quoted Ossoff saying, "The congressman still, two weeks later, refuses to answer whether he or his businesses paid this neo-Nazi," as Ossoff criticized Collins for running away from questions in Georgia.
The CNN account also said a reporter asked after the press conference, "You don’t want to talk about your son-in-law at all? You want to embrace him in the family? Share his views?"
Alternet described Collins as ending the event “abruptly” when questioned about his son-in-law’s antisemitic social media posts and quoting Collins saying, "We fully addressed that," while he added that Ossoff should disavow “democrat socialist movements.”
Healthcare stop, election clock
While the controversy continued, 41NBC News said Collins visited Monroe County Hospital on Thursday to outline his healthcare priorities and to increase federal support for rural hospitals if elected to the U.S. Senate.
41NBC reported Collins said, "We got $218 million delivered for rural hospitals across the state and in the Senate, I will push to double that amount to help bring even more support to our rural hospitals," as he repeatedly redirected reporters after questions about Scheer.
The same 41NBC report said early voting for Georgia’s general election begins Tuesday, October 13, as Collins challenged incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race.
CNN said Scheer appeared in family photographs on Collins’ campaign website and social media and attended Collins’ Senate primary election-night party, and it reported that one photo was removed following CNN’s reporting.
In the CNN account, Collins declined to answer repeated questions about whether Scheer had done any paid work for his businesses or his campaign, even as CNN said Scheer narrated promotional videos for Collins’ trucking company and told viewers he was producing videos for a “client.”