Collins calls Ossoff's attacks craziness and says that when he "had things happen," he fired people
Mike CollinsU.S. representative from Georgia and Republican Senate nominee, speaking at the debate
Asked about his son-in-law's posts and staff members accused of racism and antisemitism, Collins said "that's my family," called Ossoff's attacks craziness, said he has condemned racism, antisemitism and hate, criticized Ossoff's own allies, and said that when he "had things happen," he fired them.
Responding to
Collins fired the people around him whose conduct drew scrutiny once problems came to light.
“You know, Rick, that’s my family. That’s the craziness that Jon Ossoff has been spewing out there. I actually had a crazy person get put in jail this weekend, because he not only wanted to kill my son-in-law, but he wanted to kill me. And you’re exactly right. I’ve got a daughter and grandkids there, as well as my wife. I’ve condemned racism, anti-Semitism, hate. I don’t care where the source is. And I tell him that, too. It’s wrong. We have no place in this world for that. But I’ve never heard him say a word about his DSA pick up there, Abdul El Saeed, Hassan Piker. How about Reid Hoffman? None of those. He doesn’t denounce anybody or anything or condemn them, because he’s part of them. But yet he wants to take that and spew that on me. That’s not me. When I had things happen, I’m a businessman. I fired them. I got rid of them. Don’t need them.”
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did Mike Collins hire aides with white nationalist ties, as Jon Ossoff claimed?
At the October 8, 2026 Georgia Senate debate, Sen. Jon Ossoff told Rep. Mike Collins he had hired "half the Third Reich" to staff his congressional office and had promoted neo-Nazi content online. The charge followed months of reporting about a former Collins chief of staff, a former intern, Collins's son-in-law and two campaign organizers. Collins says he condemns racism and antisemitism and fired people when problems arose. Whether those aides and associations match Ossoff's description is disputed.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Published transcript of the debate. Moderator Rick Folbaum asks Collins about his son-in-law's posts and about staff members accused of racism and antisemitism. Collins says the question concerns his family, says he has condemned racism and antisemitism, and says that when he had things happen, he fired them. Ossoff replies that Collins amplified neo-Nazi propaganda and that his office intervened for a Holocaust denier.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
The Washington Sun's debate report, which describes the staff and family controversies Ossoff raised and Collins's answer on stage.
Before the quotation
Moderator Rick Folbaum told Collins that many people felt he had not adequately addressed his son-in-law's posts or accusations of racism and antisemitism against several staff members. He asked what Collins had said to his daughter and son-in-law and whether he would denounce white supremacy.
After the quotation
Ossoff replied that neo-Nazi propaganda was being spread from Collins's home, that Collins had amplified neo-Nazi propaganda online and that his office had intervened at the Justice Department for a Holocaust denier.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Collins's staffing and associations as Ossoff described them, Collins rejects the charge as craziness and defends his handling of the people around him, saying he fired them. He condemns racism and antisemitism in general but does not criticize his own hiring or associations, so the response defends the conduct at issue rather than condemning it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Jon Ossoff
More from this case
Read the full caseJosh Marshall says Ossoff's Third Reich line stated facts in the public record
“Ossoff didn’t call Mike Collins a Nazi. ... This isn’t some random swipe. It’s been one of the biggest stories of the campaign season that week after week reporters keep finding members of Collins campaign, political operation or family who are associated with far-right or neo-Nazi individuals and organizations or who distribute anti-Semitic propaganda. This is merely an aggressive statement of facts that are unambiguously in the public record.”Read statement
Brooks tells Ossoff to stop calling opponents Nazis but calls Collins's circle disturbing
“Jon Ossoff, my advice to him is, if you start calling your political opponents Nazis, maybe it's time to shut up. That's just not what we do here in this country. And the Bull Connor stuff -- and a lot of these candidates have real weaknesses. Like, Mike Collins, who's the Georgia Republican, I think what's accurate to say about him is, he has a disturbing number of young men on his -- around him who have ties to the alt-right and some of the vile antisemitic stuff online.”Read statement
Filipkowski calls Ossoff's line hyperbolic but says Collins hired the Third Reich's disciples
“While it was a bit hyperbolic for Ossoff to say that Mike Collins hired half the Third Reich to staff his office, it is accurate to say he hired their disciples.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Collins calls Ossoff's attacks craziness and says that when he "had things happen," he fired people
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5645-asked-about-his-son-in-law-s-posts
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Collins calls Ossoff's attacks craziness and says that when he "had things happen," he fired people". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5645-asked-about-his-son-in-law-s-posts