A Republican Senate hopeful in Georgia has faced strong criticism after his campaign account mocked Matt Lauer's rape accuser Brooke Nevils and her husband. The account, Mike Collins War Room, referred to Nevils' partner Luke Thompson as 'Matt Lauer's sloppy seconds' in a post on X. Thompson is an advisor to Derek Dooley, who is competing against Collins for Georgia's Senate seat.
Campaign Controversy
The remark appeared to reference rape allegations Nevils brought against former NBC host Lauer nearly a decade ago, which he has denied. The post came after Thompson shared new polling data on X showing the race tightening between Dooley and Collins. The campaign account replied to his post saying: 'Matt Lauer's sloppy seconds chiming in to take an L.' It was swiftly deleted following backlash online after the exchange was amplified by Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein. Collins has since distanced himself from the post and denied signing it off.
Backlash and Response
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson slammed the remark, writing: 'A campaign that can’t help but make rape jokes about a rape victim will be unable to avoid antisemitic jokes about Jon Ossoff. Mike Collins’s campaign needs to go away.' Steve Guest, former staffer for Texas Sen Ted Cruz, added: 'Mike Collins is paying for this trash.' Collins addressed the comment in a statement on X hours later, calling the language 'despicable and unauthorized.' He said the statement was made without his knowledge or approval and apologized for the offensive tweet, adding that he had made staffing changes to ensure such behavior does not recur.
Background on Brooke Nevils
Brooke Nevils publicly accused Matt Lauer of rape in 2019, two years after his contract with NBC was terminated over sexual misconduct allegations. She first went public with the allegations when she allowed Ronan Farrow to name her in his 2019 book Catch and Kill. Lauer has denied Nevils' allegations and insisted they had consensual sex which sparked their affair. He has never been charged with any crime. Nevils told Farrow that Lauer anally raped her in his hotel room while she was working for NBC host Meredith Vieira at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. After the Russia trip, Nevils alleged further encounters took place before she filed a complaint in 2017. Lauer denied the allegation, saying the encounter was consensual.
Impact on Mental Health
In Farrow’s book, Nevils detailed how her mental health deteriorated following the alleged incident, eventually leading her to take a leave of absence that became permanent. She said she developed post-traumatic stress disorder after filing the complaint and spent time in a psychiatric ward, describing feeling 'so worthless and damaged that the world would be better off without me.' She also allegedly attempted suicide. In 2019, NBC said: 'Matt Lauer’s conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time. That’s why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Nevils, Thompson, Lauer and Collins for comment. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to hotline.rainn.org. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text 'STRENGTH' to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
