Tipsheet

Rep. Andy Barr Hit With Brutal Attack Ad Over His Past Statements on Afghan Refugees

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 10, 2026 10:30 AM

A campaign ad released Monday blasts Rep. Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, highlighting remarks he made in 2021 arguing that the United States owed it to Afghans to accept them as refugees following the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

The clip has come back to haunt Barr after an Afghan refugee admitted to the United States shot two National Guardsmen just blocks from the White House last November, killing one and wounding the other. This comes as Barr, despite pledging to back the Trump administration in its aggressive deportation campaign, has a history of supporting amnesty for all types of immigrants.

“We have failed in our obligation to help many of these Afghans," Rep. Barr is heard saying. "We owe them to help them get into our country with these visas.” 

That attitude towards immigration pervades a multitude of Barr's previous policy positions, as he has even supported mass amnesty for illegal immigrants.

This comes as the Senate candidates continue vying for President Trump’s endorsement. 

Senate candidate Nate Morris has emerged as the contender most closely aligned with the president, pledging to support his agenda, including his immigration policies. Morris has gone even further, arguing that the United States should impose a full immigration moratorium until every illegal immigrant in the country has been deported.

Despite Morris's close alignment with the president on policy, Barr still appears to be leading the field as of February. The last thing we need is another RINO in the Senate, as the GOP struggles to maintain its razor-thin majority.