VA-GOV: Virginia GOP gubernatorial hopeful linked to Nazi sympathizer donor
A Nazi cosplayer who praised Hitler’s military for having “accomplished incredible things” militarily is a donor to the Republican nominee for Virginia’s governor.
Richard Iott, a former Ohio congressional candidate with a history of dressing up as Nazis, donated a total of $900 in nine monthly installments since last year to the Winsome PAC, which supports Winsome Earle-Sears, currently the state’s lieutenant governor. His last contribution was made in May, according to recent filings.
Iott, a colonel in the Ohio Military Reserve and a Tea Party favorite during his 2010 congressional run, spent years donning a German Waffen SS uniform and participating in reenactments of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking. The unit assisted in the genocide of Hungarian Jews and has been accused of numerous war crimes.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that here was a relatively small country that, from a strictly military point of view, accomplished incredible things,” Iott said of Nazi Germany in a 2010 interview with The Atlantic. The National Republican Congressional Committee removed Iott from a preferred list of candidates and the Republican Jewish Coalition said the candidate was unfit for office.
https://forward.com/fast-forward/726640/virginia-governor-nazi-cosplay-winsome-earle-sears/