Failed Republican Congressional candidate from Maryland Kimberly Klacik is suing conservative pundit Candace Owens for $20 million, saying an Instagram post Owens made claimed falsely that Klacik was a former stripper, a pimp for her husband’s strip club, and a fraud, the Baltimore Sun reports.

In the 44-minute video which Owens posted on Instagram Live June 22nd, Owens also claims Klacik used illegal drugs, misused campaign funds and ran an illegitimate charity organizations.  Klacik says Owens accusations led to a publisher canceling a book deal and fellow Republicans shutting her out of public appearances and fundraisers.  In the video, Owens admits that she’s not an “investigative journalist” and could not confirm any of the accusations she leveled.

In 2020, Klacik challenged Democrat Kwesi Mfume for the Maryland Congressional seat previously held by the late Elijah Cummings.  Klacik lost that race, as she did the special election held after Cummings’ death in 2019. 

Klacik, who like Owens is a Black woman and therefore unusually in today’s GOP, rose to a certain level of fame in the 2020 election cycle, raising millions of dollars in a safely Democratic district.  Klacik gained social media popularity for a video that showed her strutting down a Baltimore street in a red dress and high heels while showcasing a series of abandoned homes in the city.

Klacik, who doesn’t live in the district she sought to represent, claimed that she ran a charity in Baltimore City, but state records indicate the charity had not filed required state documents or taxes for a number of years.