The 30-year-old Democrat gunning to grab Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s former congressional seat in suburban Atlanta has some explaining to do. Jon Ossoff, an affable millennial leading polling in the special election, is functioning as a sort of breath of fresh air for defeated Democrats desperate for some sign of hope in Trump’s America. He’s drawn celebrities, New York Magazine profile writers, and other national media outlets to his district in recent weeks. But lingering questions about Ossoff’s honesty and resume appear to be escalating.
On Monday morning, the Washington Post fact-checked Ossoff’s claims about his resume, concluding that “the overall impression is misleading enough to merit a Pinocchio.” Fact-checker Glenn Kessler combed through Ossoff’s record, even interviewing former employers, to obtain a clearer picture of the aspiring politico’s young career.
Ossoff frequently characterizes that career by repeating careful versions of this line on the campaign trail: “I’ve got five years of experience as a national security staffer in the U.S. Congress. I held top secret security clearance.” Like many of his conservative critics, Kessler called Ossoff out for misleading voters.
“Would an ordinary viewer understand that Ossoff’s clearance was for less than half a year?” the fact check asked. “Not very likely.”
“Moreover,” it continued, “declaring himself a ‘senior national security staffer’ is also bit too much resume puffery.”
A generally-favorable New York Magazine profile published Sunday night raised those same questions about his resume as well, making it the second national outlet in less than 24 hours to do so.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month that his campaign told them he’d received top-secret security clearance after the 2006 election, but when the campaign, under mounting pressure, released a precise timeline of his career as a congressional aide a few weeks later, it was revealed that he actually received the clearance in March 2012 — meaning he could’ve had it for only five months.
The profile also observed, as some of his fellow Democrats have, that Ossoff doesn’t even live in the district. It also noted, “Though he uses part of his stump speech to decry smart young people leaving the state to take their talents elsewhere, his own company, TWI, is based in London.”
If, as Ossoff and his supporters desire, he hopes to serve as a refreshing contrast to a fact-challenged presidential administration, Ossoff should explain his decision to campaign on a misleading narrative.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
