“Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), a vociferous opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, claimed Sunday that “there is not a racist bone in my body.” The senator infuriated critics with the remark during her debate with the Rev. Raphael Warnock (D), who she faces next month in the Georgia runoff election that will determine control of the Senate. She was asked by panelist Lisa Rayam of WABE Radio whether she stands by her previous remarks calling the Black Lives Matter movement “fascist,” after hearing a comment from a Black constituent who said she fears daily for the lives of her family members from police violence. Loeffler did not walk back her remarks. “Well, the life of every African American is important, and there is no place for racism in this country,” Loeffler said. “But there are organizations whose number one goal is to defund the police. And we know that that hurts minority communities more than anyone. And we have to stand with our men and women of law enforcement. And I will always do that.” In July, Loeffler, who co-owns the Atlanta Dream WNBA team, said she was “adamantly” against the Black Lives Matter movement after the basketball league dedicated its season to supporting it and other social justice causes. She claimed it might alienate sports fans. Weeks earlier, she accused Black protesters with guns in Georgia ― where open carry is legal ― of practicing “mob rule,” even though she bills herself as a champion of the Second Amendment. \”There is not a racist bone in my body\” — Kelly Loeffler pic.twitter.com/6mwup9PKyS— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 7, 2020 Warnock accused Loeffler of using her “enormous privilege and power” as a senator to “pick a fight with the Black women on her team.” “She says she is against racism and that racism has no place, but she welcomed the support of a QAnon conspiracy theorist and she sat down with a white supremacist for an interview,” he said. Loeffler responded by calling Warnock’s remarks “sad,” saying she doesn’t have a racist bone in her body, and calling her opponent divisive. The senator’s WNBA team has been calling for her to be booted from the league for months, citing her racist and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, among other controversies. Members of the Atlanta Dream have openly campaigned for Warnock. Her debate night remarks were met with outrage and ridicule on Twitter. Ah, yes, the racist bones, as certified by the physician of racismology who performed the antiracist bone scan. How about the racist words and actions, any check on them?A few more thoughts on racist bones in next tweet. https://t.co/6xkjnx3Ymy— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) December 7, 2020 Thread https://t.co/dLPnE3TBLF— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) December 7, 2020 this is when you know people are racist. https://t.co/V8hClsOcfd— deray (@deray) December 7, 2020 Yeah. There’s like a dozen of em. https://t.co/xDn6WgaGcu— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) December 7, 2020 1/ THREAD: Whenever someone says, “There’s not a racist bone in my body”, it’s a tell. Notice that this is NOT the same as denying being racist. It’s akin to asking your partner if they’re having an affair, and their answer is, \”When would I have time to have an affair?\”— Dr. Jack Brown (@DrGJackBrown) December 7, 2020 2/ That’s not the question that you asked them. You didn’t inquire about the status of their bones or their time/schedule. You can be sure that they’re racist AF and that they’re cheating on you.Ω— Dr. Jack Brown (@DrGJackBrown) December 7, 2020 Anytime someone says “there’s not a racist bone in my body” that means there’s many many racist bones in their body… @SenatorLoeffler @ReverendWarnock #georgiarunoffdebate— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) December 7, 2020 Let me admit: I probably have a racist bone in my body. I’m white. I don’t know what it is. But I would never swear it doesn’t exist. God, she is awful. May God bless America…— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) December 7, 2020 “There’s not a racist bone in my body” Loeffler confirms she knows NOTHING about racism or her privilege. It’s DANGEROUS to have someone SO UNAWARE of the realities of racism & racial injustices in a position of power making decisions that affect the lives of ALL Georgians. pic.twitter.com/aKpOuMiCO9— Liberty S. Justice (@LibertySJustice) December 7, 2020 Whenever someone says “there’s not a racist bone in my body,” there’s no clearer sign that they haven’t thought deeply about race and that they do, indeed, hold racist beliefs. https://t.co/gHKvdTRPC1— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) December 7, 2020 “There’s not a racist bone in my body…” DRINK! #GADebate— Joy WE VOTED!! WEAR A MASK!! Reid 😷) (@JoyAnnReid) December 7, 2020 “There’s not a racist bone in my body.” How about the muscle memory of antiblackness? How about the neural circuits that carry prejudice? How about the blood of bigotry that flows throughout the body politic? It’s not the bones of racists I’m worried about. It’s their bodies.— Michael Eric Dyson (@MichaelEDyson) December 7, 2020 “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” #GASenateDebate https://t.co/HmYQb7pJpA— Georgia Democrats (@GeorgiaDemocrat) December 7, 2020
