A Connecticut state senator says an anti-Semitic tweet is fair game for criticism — even though it came from a fake account. Her opponent calls it dirty politics.

The tweet falsely claims to be from Greenwich Republican Ryan Fazio's Political Action Committee. On Sunday, Fazio's opponent, state Sen. Alex Kasser, posted it on social media with the response, "This is what I'm up against in this election."

Kasser also posted about the controversial tweet on Facebook and Twitter, as well as sending it out to voters in an email blast. In the email, Kasser wrote: "Let there be no question about what this tweet means. The word 'infestation' is the rhetoric used in Nazi Germany and by President Trump to pit us against one another. There is no distinction between Trump at the top of the ticket and Republican candidates down the ballot."

"We never attributed the tweet to him, but this kind of racist rhetoric is used by the president; is used by members of his party, every day," she says.

 

Fazio, though, is calling Kasser's move dirty politics. He says the tweet is fake and is from an obvious troll account meant to smear him, including one post saying, "Ryan is smart, handsome and healthy. His teeth are fantastic." As of Monday, the account had eight followers.

"It only had four followers when it was brought to my attention. I didn't want it to get any attention because it was an insane Twitter account. So I was messaging Twitter multiple times. I had my friends message Twitter multiple times and I never got any response," says Fazio.

Fazio says he did ask Twitter to remove the account two weeks ago and several times since. Kasser says it's fair game because he should have denounced the tweet, and the account, as soon as he saw it.

"It's not my job to check with him to see whether, or if, he's going to denounce statements that are made about him," she says. "With his name on it, his likeness, and they knew about it for two weeks."

In Connecticut, it's illegal for someone to pretend to be a political action committee. News 12 reached out to Twitter for comment.