U.S. Senator Dan Coats and Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, who are both from Indiana, have denied online allegations that they are members of the white supremacy group Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
Coats and Henry made the denials after their names were included on a list posted on the text-sharing website Pastebin. The post claimed phone numbers and email addresses on the list belong to members of the Ku Klux Klan, but the authenticity of the posting has been called into question.
“For those who are asking – I have never had any affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and deplore all forms of racial discrimination,” Coats said on his official Twitter account. “This is baseless Internet garbage of the worst kind.”
Henry, on his own account, also denied being involved. “Claims that I have ties to the KKK are totally false and irresponsible. I’m proud to be the Mayor of the [City of Fort Wayne]. Our City celebrates and appreciates diversity and acceptance. Racism has no place in our society and my life,” he said.
Members of Anonymous, under the name “Operation KKK,” announced last week that they will release the identities of KKK members on Thursday, but the group emphasized on Monday that they were not behind the list posted on Pastebin. “We believe in due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals,” the group said in a tweet.
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