Ossoff Press

Today, Sen. Ossoff is again pushing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to fully investigate racist, threatening text messages targeting Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ Georgians.

Sen. Ossoff previously pressed the Biden Administration to investigate the threatening texts.

Since Sen. Ossoff launched his inquiry, a February report by NPR revealed that the texts originated from between 15 and 20 different phone numbers, which flooded free mass text services with vitriolic missives, directly targeting vulnerable high school and college students.

“I write to follow up on my previous December 2024 request that the Department of Justice fully investigate the racist mass text campaign that targeted Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ Georgians, including children, in November 2024,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel. “According to subsequent reporting, the texts may have been the result of a coordinated, sophisticated attack. In light of that reporting, I ask that you redouble your investigatory efforts to identify the perpetrators of this hateful campaign and hold them accountable.”

According to FOX5 Atlanta, some messages suggested Black recipients had been “selected to pick cotton” and warned of consequences if they didn’t comply. Victims, including a 14-year-old girl, and their families were left scared and in shock, prompting them to contact authorities.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to support victims of discrimination.

Earlier this month, Sen. Ossoff launched a push to pass the bipartisan Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act to prohibit in Federal law any political discrimination when Federal agencies provide disaster assistance after a natural disaster.

This month, Sens. Ossoff and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act to help secure justice for civil rights cold case victims and their families.

In February, a controversial program targeting Black travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was stopped after an inquiry from Sen. Ossoff.