Knoxville mayor and Georgia senator deny being KKK members

Staff photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press -- Sep 11, 2010
Brother Jeff Jones, center, with microphone, and other members of the Ku Klux Klan salute and shout "white power" during their rally on Saturday.
Staff photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press -- Sep 11, 2010 Brother Jeff Jones, center, with microphone, and other members of the Ku Klux Klan salute and shout "white power" during their rally on Saturday.
photo Madeline Rogero
photo In this Feb. 17, 2009 file photo, Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. speaks in in Atlanta.

A post on Pastebin allegedly published by a hacker named Amped Attacks purported to expose a handful of U.S. political figures he says are affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.

Among lawmakers, the list included U.S. Sen. Thomas Tillis, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and U.S. Sen Dan Coats. The list also included five mayors, including Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Lexington, Ky., Mayor Jim Gray.

Rogero said in a statement Monday that she is not a member of the Ku Klux Klan after her name appeared in raw data released by the hacker, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The Knoxville paper reported that Rogero called the accusation that she is a Klan member "false and defamatory" and "irresponsible and slanderous," and urged her name be removed from any lists suggesting her affiliation with the white supremacy organization.

"So, just to be clear, for anyone who doesn't know me: Don't be ridiculous," Rogero wrote on her official Facebook page late in the morning.

Isakson, R-Ga., also released a statement slamming the report, calling the information "absolutely false."

"This information is absolutely false and comes from an unverified source. Senator Isakson has never been affiliated with the KKK," his office said in a statement.

Hacker activists Anonymous, which originally was thought to be the source of the list, disavowed the release, saying its data is yet to come.

"Today we have shut down servers, gotten personal information on members of the KKK, and infiltrated your twitters and websites," Anonymous said in a news release Sunday. "And this is just the beginning. On November the 4th we will be having a twitter storm, spreading awareness about the operation. And on the 5th we shall release more than 1000 Ku Klux Klan members Names and websites, new and old."

Rogero, for her part, questioned whether the allegation was even worth responding to. On her Facebook page, the Knoxville mayor said she began her political career working for farm workers' rights with Cesar Chavez, has advocated for LGBT rights, and has worked with President Obama on his My Brother's Keeper Program.

"In short, I don't think the KKK would want anything to do with me," she wrote.

The post also purported to out the openly gay mayor of Lexingon, Ky, Jim Gray, as a member of the KKK. However, Gray wrote on Twitter that he is "opposed to everything the KKK stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong."

The Pastebin post does not source its material or offer any attribution beyond the basic biographical information on each alleged KKK-affiliated politician.

Upcoming Events