Bill O’Reilly Says He’d Vote for Putin Over Jon Ossoff After Trump Aide Remark

Bill O’Reilly unloaded on Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., on Tuesday, declaring that he would rather cast a ballot for Russian President Vladimir Putin than support the Democratic senator after Ossoff took aim at one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides.

The controversy began during a Sunday rally when Ossoff claimed Trump was uninterested in carrying out his presidential duties and would rather “travel with Natalie,” an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, the president’s executive assistant.

Harp’s close relationship with Trump has previously attracted scrutiny. She was reported to have sent Trump “devotional letters” and has remained in close proximity to the president at all hours.

Ossoff’s remark quickly triggered outrage among Trump supporters, with many accusing the Georgia Democrat of suggesting there was an affair between Trump and Harp.

O’Reilly weighed in during Tuesday’s episode of “No Spin News,” blasting Ossoff’s comments as a “gutter snipe statement” and arguing that Harp had been unfairly dragged into a political attack.

“You don’t get lower than that. This is the lowest you go,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly defended Harp as someone working for the country and said she had no history of inappropriate behavior. He also noted that Trump had previously helped Harp with a health matter involving cancer.

The longtime political commentator accused Ossoff of attempting to turn Harp into someone who should be “denigrated and laughed at” while implying there was something inappropriate taking place between her and the president.

O’Reilly also argued that such a relationship would be impossible because of the level of Secret Service protection surrounding a sitting president.
He contrasted the current security environment with the presidency of John F. Kennedy, saying there was once a time when a president could tell Secret Service agents to leave and they would comply.

“That doesn’t happen anymore,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly then took his condemnation of Ossoff a step further, saying the Georgia Democrat’s remark was so objectionable that he would choose Putin over Ossoff if the two were somehow his electoral choices.

“They’re smear merchants,” O’Reilly said. “This Ossoff, I would not vote for — I’d vote for Putin over Ossoff. That’s how bad this guy Ossoff is.”
O’Reilly also said that if he were in Trump’s position, he would respond to the attack by closely examining Ossoff’s history.

“Believe me, if I were President Trump, I’d be combing everything that Ossoff’s ever done — ever done — for doing this,” O’Reilly said.
His comments came as Ossoff’s reference to Harp continued to draw anger from Trump supporters who viewed the senator’s remark as a personal attack on the presidential aide rather than simply criticism of Trump.