GOP Congressional Candidate Calls Holocaust the 'Biggest, Blackest Lie in History

A congressional candidate in Illinois has called the Holocaust "the biggest, blackest lie in history."

Arthur Jones, a 64-year-old insurance salesman from Lyons, Ill., is hoping to be the Republican candidate to run against Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D) and is making headlines with some shocking statements.

"This idea that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust is the biggest, blackest lie in history," Jones told CBS St. Louis. "There is no proof that the Holocaust took place in Europe against the Jews."

"As far as I’m concerned, the Holocaust is nothing more than an international extortion racket by the Jews," Jones, a Vietnam War veteran, said according to the Oak Lawn Patch. "Millions of dollars are being made by Jews telling this tale of woe and misfortune in books, movies, plays and TV. The more survivors, the more lies that are told."

A former member of the Nationalist Socialist Party, he told the Oak Lawn Patch he votes Republican "90 percent of the time" even though “philosophically, I’m a National Socialist."

He's written a flyer called "The Holocaust Racket" containing similar statements, including denying all Holocaust deaths, CBS reported.

He's looking to unseat Lipinski -- whose congressional district includes parts of Chicago's South Side as well as the city's western and southwestern suburbs -- because he feels Lipinski wants to go to war with Iran over Israel, according to the station.

“I’m the only guy in the state of Illinois against the Israeli lobby,” he said.

Despite collecting more than 1,000 signatures to qualify for the state primary, CBS reported the Illinois Republican Party has so far refused to put his name on the ballot because of his views. The other two Republican primary contenders are Jim Falvey and Richard Grabowski.

“I didn’t know believing in the Holocaust became a requirement for public office,” Jones said.

This is Jones' third congressional bid; he also ran for Milwaukee mayor in 1976.