Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) on Wednesday described those protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court as “paid activists”.

{mosads}Appearing on Laura Ingraham’s syndicated radio show, Perdue said that Republicans should not be swayed by protestors and should “grow up and start playing defense.”

“These are not genuine people who are concerned about Dr. Ford or anything else, these are paid activists,” he said.

“This is a George Soros conspiracy, and it’s time we wake up, expose them, stand up and fight for our country, because that’s what’s at stake here,” Perdue added, referring to the billionaire activist who has donated to liberal social causes. 

Perdue’s comments come a day after he was confronted at a Washington airport on Tuesday by Kavanaugh opponents who filmed him and sought to engage in a conversation about the Supreme Court nominee.

Two of the women who confronted Perdue shared personal experiences with sexual assault as they urged him to vote against Kavanaugh. Perdue was walking through the airport with his wife at the time.

The two women are affiliated with the Center for Popular Democracy, which receives funding from Soros. Perdue chalked this up to a coordinated attack by Democrats on Ingraham’s show.

“This is a sham, it’s a new low in America,” he said.

“This is part of a bigger attempt by the Democrats to take this to a new level. This is a bigger issue, and it’s not going to go away when we confirm Kavanaugh this week.” 

Jennifer Epps-Addison, the president and co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, said in a statement to The Hill that she and others in the videos are sexual assault survivors “fighting for a world in which all of us are free together.”

“These senators are attacking survivors because they know a majority of Americans want them to vote no on Brett Kavanaugh,” Epps-Addison said. “My co-director Ana Maria and I are mothers, queer women, sexual assault survivors and proud organizers. We’ve spent our lives working in democratic people’s organizations fighting for a world in which all of us are free to thrive together.”

“No amount of distraction, or character assassination will deter us or the millions who have been activated by this moment from demanding accountability from our senators,” she added.

In a Wednesday interview with Hugh Hewitt, Perdue likened opposition to Kavanaugh to McCarthyism.

“This is a reversion back to McCarthyism by the Democrats,” he said.

“I mean, it is outrageous, the character assassination. The Democrats are burning a very bedrock of our democracy, and that is the presumption of innocence in this, and this character assassination is the new low in my time here in Washington.” 

— Emily Birnbaum contributed reporting. Updated 8:17 p.m.