Thune says a lot of campaign allegations turn out to be unfounded
John ThuneU.S. senator from South Dakota and Senate majority leader, speaking to reporters in Atlanta
Capitol Beat reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaking with Collins in Atlanta, dismissed Democrats' attacks over Collins's reported connections to white supremacists. In his own words, Thune said that in any campaign there are a lot of allegations and that a lot of them turn out to be unfounded. According to the report, he also said Ossoff's focus on the issue was a "desperate attack" to draw attention away from his own voting record.
“In any campaign there are a lot of allegations, and a lot of them turn out to be unfounded”
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
Reporting
About this source
Capitol Beat report, republished by Rough Draft Atlanta, on Senate Majority Leader John Thune's September 25 appearance with Collins in Atlanta, where Thune dismissed Democrats' attacks over Collins's reported connections to white supremacists.
Before the quotation
Thune appeared with Collins at the Cross Creek Cafe in Atlanta the day after a Collins fundraiser, following a news report that the top Republican super PAC was shifting its focus away from Georgia.
After the quotation
Thune said Ossoff was using the issue to draw attention from his own voting record. The report noted that news outlets had reported on a former Collins chief of staff, a former Collins staffer and Collins's son-in-law, and that Ossoff had been raising those reports for weeks.
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, Thune says a lot of campaign allegations turn out to be unfounded and, according to the report, calls Ossoff's focus on the issue a desperate attack, which defends Collins against the charge. He did not say which reports he considered unfounded, so the label rests on that general dismissal.
- 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
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The Dispute Index. "Thune says a lot of campaign allegations turn out to be unfounded". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5649-capitol-beat-reported-that-senate-majority-leader-john