GOP Smears Refugees As Terrorists In Georgia Special Election Ad

The National Republican Congressional Committee released a television ad yesterday in the closely watched special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, attacking Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff over his party’s support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

The NRCC ad depicts refugees from Syria as likely terrorists, showing an image of an ISIS militant and warning: “ISIS is infiltrating America and using Syrians to do it.”

The ad goes on to attack Ossoff for supporting the Iranian nuclear agreement, alleging that the deal will “fund terror while terrorists infiltrate and attack,” a warning it accompanies with photos of San Bernardino terrorists Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik—neither of whom were refugees or Syrian.

The ad’s depiction of Syrian refugees as ISIS militants is reminiscent of President Trump’s own extreme rhetoric. Refugees, many of whom have been welcomed in Georgia, are highly vetted and refugees from Syria have not been implicated in any acts of terrorism in the U.S.