On Wednesday, the day after a video emerged of the former wife of Georgia Democratic senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock saying in March 2020 that she had kept his allegedly problematic private behavior “under wraps for a long time,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, covering the Senate run-off race between Warnock and incumbent Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler, titled their side-by-side articles of the the two candidates like this:
“Untouched in first round, Warnock endures attacks.”
“Losing moderate image, Loeffler turns hard right.”
Ajc Metro this morning pic.twitter.com/JsXjSGuniT
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) December 23, 2020
The overt bias in the newspaper’s coverage elicited a strong response among conservatives, as they noted the implicit attack on Loeffler while the paper made Warnock look like a victim:
"Untouched in first round" according to what? My gosh.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) December 23, 2020
Republican Does Republican Stuff
Democrat Endures Attacks https://t.co/PSgvdHvqXW— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) December 23, 2020
The AJC’s framing on Raphael Warnock is a perfect case of media bias
It’s not that Warnock’s comments or views are extreme, controversial, or even just potentially problematic with voters.
It’s that this is all Kelly Loeffler’s creation – she’s the reason for Warnock’s problems https://t.co/mfXh4C6cjm
— Jesse Hunt (@JJHunt10) December 23, 2020
Hacks, absolute hacks https://t.co/KTBQv6ZvDV
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) December 23, 2020
The paper’s coverage followed the emergence of a potentially damaging video about Warnock. As The Daily Wire reported on Tuesday:
Last March, Oulèye Ndoye Warnock, who had married current Democratic Georgia senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock in early 2016 and had two children with him before they separated in November 2019, accused Warnock of running over her foot with his car during a heated argument. Although Warnock denied the incident occurred and medical officials didn’t find any signs of injury in the foot, video has now emerged showing Oulèye Warnock telling police at the scene, “I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time and today he crossed the line.”
Oulèye Warnock asserted, “This man’s running for the United States Senate and all he cares about right now is his reputation. I work at the mayor’s office and this is a big problem. I’ve been trying to be very quiet about the way he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation … I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time and today he crossed the line. So that is what is going on here and he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
The Journal-Constitution had reported in March on the claims by Oulèye Warnock:
According to the report, shortly after Warnock arrived at his wife’s home on Monday they began arguing about whether Raphael Warnock would allow his wife to apply for passports so that she could take their children to West Africa for her grandfather’s funeral. Warnock told police that he had previously denied the request and that he didn’t have time to talk about it again, according to the report.
Fox News reported that after speaking with Warnock, the police officer interviewed Warnock’s wife, who confirmed she had been attempting to get Warnock’s signature for a passport. While crying, she told the officer, “He’s like, ‘Ouleye, close the door. I’m leaving.’ And I was like, ‘just hear me out. If your mom died, and I had the kids. Wouldn’t you want me to let them go with you to the funeral?’ And he just starts backing the car up. He wasn’t going fast; I’m not bleeding. But I just can’t believe he’d run me over.”