Ohio Republican Won’t Give Up Hate Money

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel will not return the $1,500 donation his campaign received from a leader of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a hate group that Dylann Roof said radicalized him. Mandel, a Republican, got the money from Earl Holt for an unsuccessful Senate bid. A spokesperson for Mandel said the money can’t be refunded because Mandel’s campaign already spent it. However, an April campaign report shows that Mandel still has money in the bank—$49,694, to be exact. Rob Portman, the Republican senator from Ohio, received $250 from Holt and has donated the money to the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund. The CoCC also donated to the campaigns of Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Scott Walker—all of whom donated the money to charity.