Nikki Haley's presidential campaign is pushing back against Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, due to what it calls consistent mischaracterizations.
Most recently, the PAC, in an advertisement, selectively edited footage of Haley addressing the United Nations in 2017 as the American ambassador to make it seem like she once endorsed allowing in Syrian refugees.
"As governor of South Carolina, we always welcomed the refugee program," the ad highlights.
However, it leaves out the rest of the statement from Haley, which includes her explaining why she did not support resettling Syrian refugees in the U.S., Semafor reporter David Weigel noted.
"It changed when it came to the Syrian refugees," Haley continued. "I did have a conversation with [then-FBI] Director [James] Comey, and I said: 'Tell me if this is any different than the way we've handled it before.'
"And that is when Director Comey said, 'We don't have enough information to vet these refugees' ... and that's when I said, 'We can't take refugees from Syria until I know that I can protect the people of South Carolina.'"
It is not the first time Never Back Down has targeted Haley, a 2024 Republican candidate, in support of its own favored candidate.
On Monday, the super PAC accused Haley in a post on X of supporting "bringing Gaza refugees to America" during her appearance a day prior on CNN.
But CheckYourFact pointed out that the clip's context was not Haley backing refugee resettlement of Palestinians. Instead, she was criticizing DeSantis' remarks about all "people from Gaza" being antisemitic.
The Florida governor said at a campaign event that it was one of his reasons for opposing Palestinian temporary resettlement in the U.S.
A spokesperson for Haley's campaign told National Review on Tuesday that she "opposes the U.S. taking in Gazans" and believes "Hamas-supporting countries like Iran, Qatar, and Turkey should take any refugees."
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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