Ossoff presses Collins over former contractor’s extremist posts

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is demanding answers from Republican challenger Mike Collins after a report that a former Collins intern and political contractor posted images of a swastika and himself in Ku Klux Klan robes, intensifying scrutiny of people connected to the congressman’s campaign and political circle.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Preston Parra, 24, shared the images in June and July and had posted online about being “racist” and “fascist,” repeatedly used slurs to refer to Black people, quoted Nazi song lyrics and used the phrase “White Power.” Parra interned for Collins for two months in 2024 and later worked as a contractor for Collins’ leadership political action committee, according to the Post. Federal Election Commission filings show he was paid $7,700 for fundraising consulting in May 2025, The Guardian reported.

Parra told the Post many of his posts were “satirical,” including the Klan image, which he said he made using Grok AI. He said he is not a white supremacist and noted that his father is Colombian, but added: “I do think that the white race contributes more to the world.” According to The Guardian, Parra said Collins was not aware of his personal X account when he worked for him because he had made it private.

Meyer Siegfried, a spokesperson for Collins, said Parra “has no affiliation with Mike Collins’ office or campaign.” Siegfried added: “The posts are vile, completely unhinged, and Mike Collins unequivocally condemns them.” He also said there had been a “rise in antisemitism and hate among younger Americans” and “Jon Ossoff’s allies,” calling that “equally abhorrent.”

Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent, called the report “stunning” and “disgraceful and disqualifying.” He said it “should shock the conscience of every Georgian” and argued that it “confirmed yet more extensive ties between Congressman Mike Collins and white nationalism, and Congressman Mike Collins and neo-Nazi ideology.”

“Mike Collins needs to hold a press conference this afternoon, and he needs to release all the communications between his office and these white supremacists,” Ossoff said. In another response cited by Talking Points Memo, Ossoff said: “Swastikas and the Klan. Another week, another scandal for the bigot Congressman Mike Collins and his collapsing Senate campaign.”

The episode adds to scrutiny of Collins, a trucking executive who has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2023. He is running against Ossoff in a Senate race that The Guardian described as critical to control of the chamber. Talking Points Memo reported that several polls show Ossoff with a healthy lead over Collins in the general election.

Other people in Collins’ orbit have also faced attention over extremist or inflammatory conduct. CNN’s KFile reported in July that Collins’ son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, had posted white nationalist and antisemitic material online, including the comment, “There’s nothing wrong with White Nationalism.” CNN also reported that Scheer advocated restoring America’s white population by removing other races and blamed “Israel and Zionist Jews” for policies he said “undermine the White Christian nature of America.” The Guardian reported that Scheer is registered to vote at a Collins-owned property, has appeared in Collins campaign photos and attended Collins’ Republican primary victory party in June.

Talking Points Memo also cited reporting that Collins’ former chief of staff and campaign adviser Brandon Phillips was fired after calling a woman who had accused former television anchor Matt Lauer of rape “Matt Lauer’s sloppy seconds.” Slate reported in May that another Collins chief of staff, Kip Talley, sought to help white supremacist and Holocaust denier Charles Johnson while Johnson was jailed for contempt of court in a racketeering case, through a group chat that included Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer.

Collins’ campaign has condemned antisemitism and pointed to his legislative support for Israel, Talking Points Memo reported.