Doug Collins questions Loeffler’s trustworthiness in first TV ad

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) hit Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in a new campaign ad, targeting the incumbent over stock sales she made at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and more.

“Kelly Loeffler’s using her family fortune to falsely attack President Trump’s strongest defender, to hide what she’s done. After a private briefing, Loeffler said we’d be fine, but she dumped millions in stock, invested in three companies that would profit while many of us lost everything,” the ad’s narrator says.

Loeffler drew fierce scrutiny over $20 million in stock sales she made following a closed-door Senate briefing in January about the coronavirus. The Georgia lawmaker has said that she was unaware of the sales and that she does not control her own stock portfolio. 

The Justice Department in May closed investigations into stock sales at the beginning of the pandemic by Loeffler and Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

Loeffler’s husband, Jeff Sprecher, has invested in chemical giant DuPont de Nemours, which manufactures personal protective gear, amid the ongoing pandemic. They also purchased stocks in Citrix, a software company, as well as Oracle, the technology company, according to multiple reports.

However, the new Collins ad does not specify any companies in which Loeffler or her husband invested.

The ad is set to air statewide in Georgia on Fox News, Politico reported. The video features a Monopoly board, including a “get out of jail free” card featuring Loeffler.

“Kelly’s using high-priced lawyers to help her get away with it,” its narrator says. “You can’t trust Kelly Loeffler.”

Collins is challenging Loeffler in the Georgia special election to fill the seat of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson (R). The election will determine who holds the seat for the remainder of Isakson’s term, which will end in 2022. Loeffler faces challenges from Collins, as well as Democrat Matt Lieberman, among others. 

Stephen Lawson, communications director for the Loeffler campaign, dismissed the ad.

“For years, Doug Collins was a trial lawyer who put his paycheck above public safety by securing reduced charges for violent criminal offenders,” Lawson said in a statement to The Hill.

“Now, he’s trying to change the subject by using a board game to repeat a debunked attack from the left. Nice try, Doug. Roll again,” he added.

— This report was updated at 9:55 a.m.