Someone is messing with the Republican candidate in the Georgia 6 runoff, and it isn’t pretty. A liberal activist has launched “@theKarenHandel,” a Twitter account that looks identical to the real account for Karen Handel, Georgia’s former secretary of state, who is in the runoff election against Democrat Jon Ossoff scheduled for June 20. While the fake account is clearly fake, it is also libelous, presenting Handel as an irredeemable racist.
“God bless our white president. May God guide him to make America great again,” the account declared.
Responding to an endorsement from the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, the fake account declared, “Thank you. White children are very important to me.”
Then there are three pictures.
The first is a stock photo of a white family, about which the fake Karen Handel said, “What a beautiful family! I’m looking forward to representing families like the Spencer’s in Congress.”
Twitter screenshot.
Another photo features a young black man shaking hands with Jon Ossoff. “Does this look like someone that’s going to represent our interests in Congress? Let’s #MAGA!” the account declared.
Twitter screenshot.
Finally, the account showcased a photo of Handel supporters who are all white. “Thank you to all my white supporters who’ve worked so hard to get me into the runoff with Jon Ossoff,” the fake account declared. “I will represent you well in Congress.”
Twitter screenshot.
Besides all this racist messaging, the account is clearly aping Handel’s official account. It uses the same photos and looks the same on the main page.
Twitter screenshot, Karen Handel’s official Twitter account on the left, fake account on the right.
There are tell-tale signs, of course. Handel’s authentic account goes back to July 2008, while the new one started this month. The website for Handel’s real account is “karenhandel.com,” while the faux Handel uses “Beertap.tv.” Finally, the real account describes Handel as “the courageous, common sense conservative,” while the fake account calls her “the courageous, Hillary Clinton conservative.”
Nowhere does Handel’s account mention race, and her account mostly focuses on thanking fellow Republicans for their endorsements. Here she is thanking Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.
Thank you @GovernorDeal for your endorsement. Your support is critical as we unify our Republican Party
— Karen Handel (@karenhandel) April 20, 2017
She also thanked Bob Gray, who endorsed her after he lost the special election race.
Thank you @BobGrayGA https://t.co/M8ePOaL0Ce
— Karen Handel (@karenhandel) April 19, 2017
The real Karen Handel tweeted the same photo the fake account presented as racist, but put it in context: The picture shows “Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul,” along with other Handel supporters.
Thank you Sandy Spings Mayor Rusty Paul and all my supporters who came out today! Let's keep it up! pic.twitter.com/dLbfpHtXPt
— Karen Handel (@karenhandel) April 12, 2017
Handel is not a racist, and Twitter should remove this false account as soon as possible.
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