Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia removed a digital campaign ad with a manipulated image of his Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, with an enlarged nose.
Before being removed, the Facebook ad featured grainy images of Ossoff and Senator Charles Schumer of New York, who is also Jewish, on a banner that said “DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO BUY GEORGIA! HELP DAVID LOST CONTINUE.
Media outlet The Forward first reported that the image was tampered with and made Ossoff’s nose appear larger than in the original photo.
A Perdue spokeswoman said in a statement Monday that the image has been removed from Facebook, calling it an “inadvertent error” by an outside provider, without naming the provider.
“Anyone who implies that this was more than an unintentional mistake is intentionally misrepresenting Senator Perdue’s strong and consistent record of being firmly against anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred,” the spokeswoman said.
But Ossoff rejected the claim that it was simply a mistake.
“Senator David Perdue’s digital attack announcement distorted my face to enlarge and extend my nose. I am Jewish. This is the oldest, most obvious and least original anti-Semitic trope in history, “Ossoff said in a statement. Senator, literally no one believes your excuses. It can start with an unqualified apology to the Jewish community in Georgia. “
Perdue is seeking a second term in November as Republicans seek to hold onto the majority of the White House and Senate.
