GOP Senate Candidate Kathy Barnette Marched With Proud Boys on January 6th
NBC News has verified photos from January 6th which reveal that “ultra-MAGA” Pennsylvania Senate candidate Kathy Barnette marched alongside Proud Boys toward the U.S. Capitol in the same crowd that eventually rioted and temporarily prevented the certification of Joe Biden’s legitimate Presidential victory.
There has been no evidence that Barnette ever entered the Capitol building, but some Proud Boys in the photos with her were later arrested and indicted for breaking in and assaulting police. Barnette’s campaign told NBC: “Kathy was in DC to support Trump and demand election accountability. Any assertion that she participated in or supported the destruction of property is intentionally false. She has no connection whatsoever to the Proud Boys.” But that’s not what the pictures show.
Over the last week, Barnette has surged into contention for the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. After months of trailing two well-funded candidates, Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, Barnette has recently closed the gap and is seen as a top contender for the nomination.
These images first tracked down and circulated by @chadloder who has found other PA candidates on Jan 6 as well…https://t.co/qaJhb3Ak8e
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) May 16, 2022
Barnette has also been a prominent promoter of election conspiracy theories, including organizing buses to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the violence at the Capitol. She has contended that there were irregularities in her own 2020 House race for a safe Democratic district, which she lost by 19 points to Rep. Madeleine Dean.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you were hanging out with the Proud Boys on your way to the January 6th Capitol attack, you've probably disqualified yourself from running for US Senate.
Oh wait, GOP's Kathy Barnette needs to hear this.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) May 16, 2022
National Republicans, including Trump himself, have warned Barnette that she would be “unelectable” if she’s the GOP nominee this November. Her detractors note that she has a history of making Islamophobic and homophobic comments and has refused to clarify pieces of her biography, even to conservative outlets.
US Senate candidate (PA) Kathy Barnette, second in several polls to Oz and gaining, says the #1 issue on voters’ minds next week is “the radical left. They are domestic terrorists. They are the threat to our democracy, to our Republic.” pic.twitter.com/Jr5XwK2Ws2
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) May 10, 2022
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