
Democratic California congressional candidate Esther Kim Varet is doubling down on her racist attack against Republican California Rep. Young Kim, during which she characterized the three-term lawmakerâs accent as âso embarrassing.â
Kim Varet, a Democratic challenger vying in a crowded primary to unseat Rep. Kim in Californiaâs Orange County during the midterms, drew Republican backlash after calling her GOP opponent a âJudasâ to the Korean-American community and mocking the fact that Rep. Kim speaks English as a second language. Despite multiple condemnations of her âunhingedâ rant, Kim Varet has not attempted to walk back her racially-charged post attacking Rep. Kimâs immigrant background â and suggested the initial post was due to her inexperience as a political candidate and unfiltered personality.
âI will be the first to admit that as a first time candidate, Iâm sloppy,â Kim Varet wrote on the social media platform Instagram Thursday evening amid backlash. âI am not a politician.â
âI wear my heart on my sleeve â and I lack a filter,â the Democrat added. âIm trying my best, guys.â
Kim Varet continued her attack on the social media platform Friday morning calling Rep. Kim a âKorean Judas.â
Kim Varet, the child of Korean immigrants, has mocked Rep. Kimâs accent and dubbed the South Korea-born lawmaker an âESL puppet,â in a reference to the âEnglish as a second languageâ program for individuals whose first language is not English. Rep. Kim was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 12 years old.
âYouâre a power-hungry Korean-born immigrant that has sold your conscience to the devilâat the price of all hard-working immigrants,â Kim Varet fumed in an Instagram post hammering Rep. Kimâs support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). âYou donât work hard, you and your husband are the biggest GRIFTERS representing the swampâputrid and pussing from the rot that is your soul.â
âYou donât even speak English well enough to hold a single cohesive argument. You ESL puppet. So embarrassing,â Kim Varet continued. âA real life Judas to our community.â
As of Friday morning, the post is still live on Kim Varetâs Instagram account.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicansâ campaign arm, torched Kim Varet as a âvile extremistâ who will be rejected at the ballot box by California voters.
âUnhinged Democrat Esther Kim Varet is a hate-filled bigot who embodies the worst of todayâs political discourse,â NRCC spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. âCalifornians will reject this vile extremist who has no business representing them in Congress.â
Kim Varet continued her attack on Rep. Kimâs immigrant status in a second social media post Thursday evening following the NRCC calling on two California House Democrats to denounce the candidateâs âracist meltdown.â

A since-deleted post from Kim Varetâs Instagram account doubling down on her racist attack against Rep. Kim. (Screenshot)
âAnd I stand by my assessment of @repyoungkimâs English skills,â Kim Varet wrote in a since-deleted post on Instagram. âProve me wrong.â
The political newcomer also suggested in the same now-deleted post that Martinez was not a âREAL latinoâ for working to elect Republicans.
Rep. Kim defended her immigrant background â and her accent â in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
âMy story is not unique â itâs the story of so many Korean Americans and immigrants across the country who are proud Americans and are making our communities better every day,â Rep. Kim said in a statement to the DCNF. âIâm proud of my accent and will keep using my voice to protect the American Dream for future generations.â
Kim Varet is an art dealer who owns several galleries in the United States and South Korea. She appears well-positioned to win the crowded primary and has roughly $1.3 million in the bank, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Rep. Kim ended the second quarter with nearly $4 million cash-on-hand. The Cook Political report rates the contest in Californiaâs 40th Congressional District as âLean Republican.â
A spokesperson for Kim Varet did not immediately respond to the DCNFâs request for comment.
Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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