DELAWARE- Incumbent Delaware Sen. Chris Coons is reacting to a tweet sent Wednesday night by his challenger, Lauren Witzke, that references the far-right group "the Proud Boys."
One of the most buzzworthy moment of Tuesday night's presidential debate formed after moderator Chris Wallace asked President Donald Trump if he condemns white supremacy and militia groups. Here is the full transcript of the interaction:
Wallace: "Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups to say they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities as we saw in Kenosha and as we've seen in Portland? Are you prepared to specifically do that? Go ahead."
Trump: "I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing."
Wallace: "So what are you saying?"
Trump: "I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace."
Wallace: "Then do it, sir."
Trump: "What do you want to call them. Give me a name. Give me a name. Go ahead, who would you like me to condemn?"
Wallace: "White Supremacists."
Trump: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you want, somebody's got to do something about Antifa and the left. Because this is not a right wing problem. This is a left wing problem."
When asked the next day by reporters if he condemns white supremacy, President Trump said, "I've always denounced any form, any form, any form of any of that."
Lauren Witzke, a Sussex County native, tweeted Wednesday, "The Proud Boys showed up to one of my rallies to provide free security for me when #BLM and ANTIFA were protesting my candidacy. I am grateful to them for volunteering their time to keep myself and my supporters safe!"
In a statement released Thursday, Coons said, "the Proud Boys [are] a far-right organization identified as a white supremacist hate group by the FBI, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and other leading civil rights organizations."
The Democrat went on to say, "There is no place in our country or our politics for white supremacist hate groups. President Trump’s refusal to denounce groups like the Proud Boys, and Lauren Witzke’s open embrace of them, shows that Joe Biden is right: "We’re in a battle for the soul of our nation. These far-right groups don’t just promote hateful, bigoted ideologies, they pose a real threat to public safety and everyday Delawareans and Americans. All of us – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – must reject hatred, bigotry, and violence in all their forms, and hold perpetrators accountable. Delaware and our country deserve better.”
On Friday morning, Witzke reached out to WBOC in response to Sen. Coons latest press release. Witzke said, "Minneapolis, Chicago, Kenosha, Lancaster, New York City, Louisville, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and of course, Wilmington: these are all cities that have been burned and looted in recent months not by the Proud Boys, but by AntiFa and Black Lives Matter, with whom Senator Coons proudly marched here in Delaware. If Senator Coons is serious about public safety, he must immediately denounce both AntiFa and Black Lives Matter."
Witzke and Sen. Coons go head to head in November for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat.