Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) was appointed to the Senate by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp following the resignation of former Senator Johnny Isakson.
Now, Loeffler is facing her first election for the position, and she's running against a congressional favorite among supporters of President Donald Trump.
Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA) has been one of Trump's most vocal defenders in the House of Representatives, especially during the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearings late last year.
With Loeffler and Collins competing to seem the most pro-Trump Senate choice for Georgia voters, one of Collins' allies in the House of Representatives is stepping in with allegations against Loeffler.
At a recent campaign event for Collins, pro-Trump Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) accused Loeffler of offering the Trump campaign $50 million to help push Collins out of the race.
According to The Daily Beast, Gaetz said:
"This is what the Loeffler team went to the Trump team with. They went and said, 'Look, you guys gotta get Doug Collins out of this race' … She said, 'I have $50 million for this project, and I can either spend my $50 million getting new voters and helping the Trump campaign, or I can spend that $50 million taking out Doug Collins.'"
Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Murphy says the Loeffler team's version of events was "more nuanced than Gaetz portrayed it":
"According to one source familiar with the interactions, the Loeffler team's offer had more to do with supporting other Senate candidates than with supporting the president, and was actually relayed to the president's campaign by way of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). 'Basically it was to get McConnell and the Senate committee behind Loeffler and to not support Collins,' the source said."
Loeffler, whose husband owns a significant stake in the New York Stock Exchange, is the wealthiest current United States Senator. She faced backlash this year when records revealed she sold a significant portion of her stocks while also investing in telework companies. The sale came just after a closed door Senate briefing on the virus, then in its early stages, and before widespread stay at home orders took effect across the nation.
People aren't sure which Trump devotee to trust.
I'm no fan of Kelly Loeffler, who allegedly made illegal stock trades after receiving Senate briefings on the #coronavirus pandemic.
But if we're going to believe Matt Gaetz on *anything*, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.🙄 https://t.co/qDUlzGuUjx
— Dr. Dena Grayson 🇺🇸 (@DrDenaGrayson) September 24, 2020
The millionaire, unelected US Senator, accused of insider trading for selling millions in stock in companies vulnerable to COVID in January & February, now accused of offering to buy her Senate seat. And she'll be voting on Justice Ginsburg's replacement. https://t.co/VcXHzhPqwW
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) September 24, 2020
Wow! This is an impossible riddle - there is the slight chance that one of these four people ISN'T lying. https://t.co/uJObANZgv4
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 24, 2020
Gross. They're all just vile, power-hungry scumbags. https://t.co/umkwtGToBJ
— Lesley Chesterman (@lesleychestrman) September 24, 2020
Huge campaign donation from Loeffler or abject loyalty from Collins, had to be a tough call for Trump. https://t.co/nwnMwZWG0L
— Jennifer Tammaro (@Jennanjack) September 24, 2020
Regardless, people were disturbed by the level of corruption within the party supposedly sent to "drain the swamp" in D.C.
Totally not swampy. https://t.co/werdk6vjDZ
— James Pindell (@JamesPindell) September 24, 2020
They only look after themselves. Don't vote for them to look after the country. https://t.co/axVwpveeV6
— Tim Polder 🦈👶 (@ThePolderBaan) September 24, 2020
And Gaetz knows this, how exactly?
Because Trump liked the idea and floated it by Collins?
— Cyrus Toulabi (@CyrusToulabi) September 24, 2020
