The war of words, charges and countercharges between the campaigns of Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley ratcheted up on Friday, just days after they officially received their respective parties’ endorsements in the Aug. 8 primary election.
Reeves’ campaign issued a release Friday morning charging that Presley accepted a campaign contribution from a far-left California art dealer tied to Hunter Biden. According to reports, the person in question is one of several buyers who paid top dollar for Hunter Biden’s “art.” Within months of the purchase, Naftali was appointed to a prestigious national commission by Hunter’s father, President Joe Biden.
The campaign also said that Presley received $10,000 from a company said to be closely tied to the Chinese Communist Party and who secured private meetings with then-Vice President Joe Biden, while working with Hunter Biden.
“My opponent’s ties to the corrupt national Democrat machine are deep,” Reeves said in the Friday news release. “Breaking news this morning: he is being funded by a Chinese Communist-linked Hunter Biden associate as well as the Hunter Biden art dealer who famously funneled the money to Hunter. This is just the tip of the iceberg…”
When asked for a response, Presley Communications Director Michael Beyer sent an email with the following quote, with a reminder of Presley’s charges of Reeves’ failure to follow through on a pledge to give away campaign donations from people charged in the state’s largest public corruption case.
“These smears are a desperate attempt from Tate Reeves to distract from the fact his campaign is funded by central figures in the largest public corruption scandal in state history,” Beyer said. “And when he was reminded his campaign is powered by criminal fraudsters like Nancy New and Zach New, Reeves broke his promise to return or donate their contributions and instead kept their tainted money for his campaign.”
