A Trump-backed candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District is firing back at a state lawmaker over an antisemitic remark. The Tennessee senator who made the comments has a history of incendiary rhetoric.
Republican Morgan Ortagus was running for District 5 in Nashville until this Tuesday. That’s when the state Republican Party chose to kick the former spokesperson for the Department of State off the ballot, saying she wasn’t a “bona-fide” member of the party.
Ortagus has drawn criticism by established members of the Tennessee GOP including State Sen. Frank Niceley from Strawberry Plains. He’s backing Ortagus’ challenger, former House Speaker Beth Harwell.
Niceley told NBC he thinks former President Donald Trump won’t care about Ortagus’ removal. He said Trump only endorsed her because she’s Jewish, pointing out that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka are Jewish.
Ortagus called his comments racist and offensive. The Republican Jewish Coalition is also condemning the remarks.
In a statement, Sen. Niceley says his comments were misconstrued and that he has nothing but respect for Jewish people.
But it’s not the first time Niceley has sparked controversy over his speech. Last week, he made reference to Adolf Hitler while defending a bill criminalizing homelessness.
“Hitler decided to live on the streets for a while, so for two years, Hitler lived on the streets and practices oratory and his body language and how to connect with the masses, and then went on to lead a life that got him into history books,” Niceley said.
Ortagus is one of three candidates that have been removed from the ballot revealing a deeper party rift.
Correction: This story originally stated that Morgan Ortagus was removed from the ballot due to a residency bill. She was removed from the ballot by the state GOP, which said she wasn’t a bona fide member of the party.
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