Jon Ossoff
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Georgia and Democratic Senate candidate, speaking at the debate
Condemned
Response to this claim
Collins improperly used public money to pay his staffer's girlfriend.
“illegal misuse of tax dollars”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Atlanta News First transcript of the Ossoff-Collins Senate debateFirst-segment stewardship-of-tax-dollars exchange; second-segment federal privacy question
The broadcaster's transcript records Collins's denial, Ossoff's accusation about office payments and Ossoff's separate proposal for federal Flock privacy rules.
Why we used this label
The matter under scrutiny is the intern compensation. Ossoff calls the payments illegal misuse, expressly criticizing the conduct. The accusation is his, not a finding by DI.