Mandel ‘stands with’ two described as hatemongers

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel took to Twitter on Thursday to “stand with” a man who has claimed that date rape doesn’t exist and that “diversity is a code for white genocide.”

In doing so, the GOP U.S. Senate candidate attacked the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civilrights organization, as a “partisan witch hunt group.”

The ADL published a report titled “From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate.” It lists prominent figures in the explicitly whitesupremacist movement and those it describes as “Alt Light”— nationalists who differentiate themselves from explicit white supremacists.

Among the Alt Lite, the report lists Mike Cernovich, who has questioned the reality of date rape and claimed that “white genocide” is happening. In response, Cernovich wrote a blog post titled “The ADL Creates Hit List of Political Opponents, Inciting Terrorism.”

And in response to that, Mandel tweeted, “Sad to see @ADL_National become a partisan witchhunt group targeting people for political beliefs. I stand with @Cernovich & @JackPosobiec.”

Jack Posobiec is a conspiracy theorist whom ADL said helped promote the “Pizzagate” conspiracy — which started with false accusations of a Democratic- led childsex ring and ended with a man using an assault rifle to shoot up a Washington, D. C., pizza parlor.

Mandel’s campaign was asked if Mandel agreed with stances taken by Cernovich and Prosobiac. It was also asked how the ADL report was a “target list.”

“Of course he doesn’t agree with those positions,” spokeswoman Erica Nurnberg said in an email.

“As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and as a Marine who defended our freedom, Treasurer Mandel believes the ADL is dead wrong for creating hit lists on American citizens. Of all organizations, the ADL should know that making target lists of people based on their political beliefs is a dangerous practice and slippery slope.”

For its part, ADL said it stands for justice.

“For more than a century, ADL has been guided by its mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and fight for equal justice for all — not by politics,” the organization said in an email.

“We call out those who preach anti-Semitism and bigotry regardless of their background, party, or standing. Our new report identifies the major figures on the Alt Right and the Alt Lite and explains the differences between the various players in these emerging movements. We stand by our report.”