The chief of staff for the GOP frontrunner in the Georgia Senate race asked federal law enforcement to release a Holocaust denier from prison, according to a new report.
Kip Talley, who works for Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) and was deputy chief of staff at the time, tried to leverage his position to free Holocaust denier Charles Johnson, according to text messages reported on by Slate.
Johnson was incarcerated in 2025 for civil contempt of court after refusing to cooperate with efforts to collect a $71 million judgment. Talley revealed in a group chat with about 30 people, including white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer, how he tried to make Johnson's stay more cushy, according to Slate.
"I'm going to try and use the levers of the legislative branch to check into his detention," Talley wrote in the group chat.
"I'm reaching out to my people at FBI and DOJ. Trying to get him out," another of Talley's messages read.
According to Slate, Talley also told the group that he was pressing the U.S. Marshals Service to ensure money was available in Johnson's prison commissary account, and that he was exercising "oversight" by checking in with officials and arranging phone calls with Johnson.
Talley responded to Slate with a statement saying that he "acted solely in my personal capacity" after he heard that "an acquaintance I have known for years was being mistreated in custody."
