With Election Day nearly here, Mike Lawler is bizarrely going to bat for Peter Oberacker, the NY-19 Republican who praised his Nazi grandfather in a since-deleted social media post, declaring
“I salute all who served.”
In a recent interview with the Forward, Lawler was asked directly about his support for Oberacker. His answer: “He’s not an antisemite.”
Since his initial post, which pictured his grandfather in full Nazi military uniform with multiple swastikas, Oberacker has doubled down and defended his grandfather’s service under Adolf Hitler. Follow-up reporting even revealed Oberacker named the bar in his basement “The Chamber.”
Oberacker’s actions were so toxic that even national Republicans refused to defend him. In September, the NRCC kicked Oberacker out of its “MAGA Majority” program and Congressional Leadership Fund yanked its ad reservations from NY-19.
But Mike Lawler is still standing by him. Lawler attended Oberacker’s campaign launch, praised him, and cut his campaign a $5,000 check. Now, in the final days of the race, he’s vouching for the Nazi-sympathizer on the record.
REMINDER: Two of Mike Lawler’s friends and political allies, Peter Giunta and Bobby Walker, were central figures in the antisemitic Young Republicans group chat where state GOP leaders joked about loving Hitler and putting their opponents in gas chambers.
DCCC Spokesperson Riya Vashi:
“Mike Lawler’s closing message to voters is that saluting a Nazi is not antisemitic. National Republicans took one look at Peter Oberacker and ran for the exits — meanwhile, Lawler has no issue standing by the Nazi-sympathizer. Hudson Valley voters see right through Lawler’s BS and are ready to elect Cait Conley tomorrow.”
