GA Senate Democrat Hopeful Warnock: ‘I Know’ Rev. Jeremiah Wright — ‘I’m Not an Antisemite’

Georgia U.S. Senate Democrat candidate Raphael Warnock on Thursday discussed his record of anti-Israel statements and policies, including his relationship with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Warnock, who faces incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in a January 5 runoff, was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” about the ad from the Loeffler campaign which highlights her opponent’s “radical” history” and if he believes Wright to be antisemitic.

Warnock acknowledged knowing Wright, but said he himself is not an “antisemite.” The candidate then shifted from his relationship with Wright and answering the question to saying Loeffler “knows better” than to “engage in the same old Washington politics of division and distraction.”

“I know Reverend Wright. I’m not an antisemite,” Warnock declared. “I have never defended antisemitic comments from anyone, and Kelly Loeffler knows better. She is trying to engage in the same old Washington politics of division and distraction. And there’s a reason for this. She can’t explain why she is for getting rid of healthcare in the middle of a pandemic.”

He continued, “It’s reverend Raphael Warnock who is running for the U.S. Senate, and if she wants to know what I think, she can find me in the scripture. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ‘And for me in practical terms, that means you don’t get rid of healthcare in the middle of a pandemic.”

In a 2008 interview on Fox News Channel, Warnock praised Wright as a “preacher and a prophet.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent