Rand Paul Campaign Sends Cease-And-Desist To Stations Running Iran Attack Ad

[Patrick Henry]

ht tp://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/...ease-and-desist-to-stations-runnin#.wvyVgk0MV

WASHINGTON — A lawyer for the Rand Paul campaign has sent a legal notice to TV stations that ran a hawkish attack ad based on Paul’s views on Iran, calling the ad defamatory and asking stations to stop showing it.

The letter is an objection to a million-dollar ad buy by a group called the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, led by Republican operative Rick Reed. The ad, which launched in early primary states on the day of Paul’s presidential campaign announcement, accuses Paul of supporting President Obama’s policies on Iran and of opposing new sanctions.

“The Advertisement attempts to deceive voters regarding Senator Rand Paul’s position on U.S.-Iran relations through at least three false statements,” writes Paul campaign general counsel Matthew T. Sanderson in the letter dated April 7, which was obtained by BuzzFeed News on Thursday.

The letter advises television stations that they are “not protected from legal liability for airing a false and misleading advertisements sponsored by FSPA” and demands that they “immediately cease airing the Advertisement.”

FSPA wrote a letter of response to station managers on Wednesday.

“Senator Paul is free to run his own advertisements trying to explain why he said new sanctions against Iran would be a ‘huge mistake,’ why he told the Today Show he is ‘in favor of negotiations with Iran,’ and why he stated it is ‘ridiculous to think [the Iranian regime is] a threat to [American] national security,’” Reed writes in the letter. “But it is not appropriate for his campaign to attempt to silence those who oppose his dangerous positions by making baseless threats against your station.”

Paul came under criticism this week for appearing testy and impatient in an interview with Savannah Guthrie, who challenged him on statements he has made in the past on foreign policy.

A spokesperson for Paul didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. None of the stations have taken down the ad.

FSPA is now launching a new ad against Paul, obtained by BuzzFeed News, which uses footage from this week’s interviews with Guthrie and with Sean Hannity:

 

[thechitowncubs]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/r...ease-and-desist-to-stations-runnin#.wvyVgk0MV

More free air time

 

[Deborah K]

Yeah I saw that ad on Faux this morning. It's slanderous.

 

[Deborah K]

Anyone know who owns FSPA?

 

[Inkblots]

Anyone know who owns FSPA?

Its donors are secret, but I can absolutely guarantee you that Sheldon Adelson is among them.

 

[mit26chell]

Its donors are secret, but I can absolutely guarantee you that Sheldon Adelson is among them.

According to Levin it's a Bush family front group with ties to Rove. Sounds about right.

 

[Deborah K]

NPR, of all publications, had this to say about the attack ads:

The ad comes from the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, or FSPA, which is a 501(c)(4) secret money group founded in 2007. It has run attack ads in past campaigns, but apparently never on this scale. It doesn't have to disclose its donors.

Its press secretary declined an interview request.

Secret money groups are proliferating in American election campaigns. FSPA said it's spending $1 million to air the ad in the first four states on the Republican primary calendar.

There are two noteworthy things about the ad. It comes as a surprise assault on an emerging candidate, and it accuses him of betraying American interests.

You could say Rand Paul got swift-boated, just like John Kerry.

Kerry was about to accept the Democratic nomination in 2004, when Swift Boat Veterans For Truth challenged his Vietnam War record, which he had seen as a strength. In the ad, one veteran from Kerry's unit said: "He dishonored his country. He most certainly did." Another veteran said: "I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted."

An architect of the Swift Boat ads, consultant Rick Reed, is now FSPA's president.

Read more here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpoli...oney-attack-paul-on-day-1-of-presidential-bid

 

[eleganz]

Anyone know who owns FSPA?

They spent 111k in 2010 to support 2 candidates and there is no other information besides that. They may have went dark during that time. Its a non profit so we'll never see the information.

https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cycle=2010&cmte=C90011909

 

[AuH20]

Why not run counter ads?

 

[AuH20]

Turd Blossom's dirty hands are all over this. He's no doubt clearing the road for Jeb.

http://rare.us/story/report-the-superpac-running-ads-against-rand-paul-has-ties-to-bush-world/

According to the Times, Black Rock Group, a public affairs firm, is “advising” the new Super PAC. Black Rock is yet another GOP consulting firm housed at 66 Canal Street in Alexandria, VA, the Republican party establishment’s outpost across the river from DC. The firm is run by Carl Forti and Brian Jones, longtime operatives in Bush World.

Forti is currently political director of American Crossroads, the GOP establishment Super PAC guided by former Bush political guru Karl Rove. Jones has had leading campaign rolls with Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney. Jones has extensive ties with mainstream media outlets, which helps explain why the New York Times is breaking a story about a GOP nomination contest.

Republicans, after all, are very adept at using the mainstream media to attack other Republicans.

The titular head of the Super PAC attacking Rand is Rick Reed, a key GOP strategist for the “Swift Boat” campaign against John Kerry more than a decade ago. Reed is largely retired from political campaigns, but seems prepared to suit up again when Bush World calls.

 

[mz10]

Yeah I saw that ad on Faux this morning. It's slanderous.

Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult for a public figure to win a slander or libel case. So Rand's gonna have a tough time with this one.

 

[Deborah K]

Why not run counter ads?

That too. Except he may get hit with a lot of this and can't be expected to spend a ton of money on the defense.

 

[AuH20]

Where is the snowball army when you need them? This is the architect of the ads. Carl Forti.

 

[Deborah K]

Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult for a public figure to win a slander or libel case. So Rand's gonna have a tough time with this one.

Well it looks like Rand's lawyering up anyway:

 

[AuH20]

Where is the snowball army when you need them? This is the architect of the ads. Carl Forti.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Forti

Carl Forti (born June 29, 1972)[1] is an American Republican Party strategist who is the political director of Karl Rove's American Crossroads Super PAC. He was political director for Mitt Romney in 2008.[2] Prior to joining American Crossroads, Forti has co-founded the Black Rock Group and has been instrumental in the formation of Republican 527's and Super PACs.[3] He has been referred to as "Karl Rove's Karl Rove", "one of the smartest people in politics you've never heard of," and "the Alexander the Great of the Republican independent expenditure world"

 

[r3volution 3.0]

Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult for a public figure to win a slander or libel case. So Rand's gonna have a tough time with this one.

Quite right, which is why I think this might be more of a PR move by Team Rand than a serious attempt at legal action.

Even if they could potentially win, I would think there'd be better uses for the money it would cost.

 

[randomname]

Even his lawyers are "weak-skinned"

 

[specsaregood]

They spent 111k in 2010 to support 2 candidates and there is no other information besides that. They may have went dark during that time. Its a non profit so we'll never see the information.

Well I wonder -- and hopefully one of the lawyers on the site will speak up -- but could the lawsuit be an effort to unveil the donors? Is that a possibility at all?

 

[Matt Collins]

Why not run counter ads?

We are trying to build a warchest for next year, not spend one now.

 

[Matt Collins]

Quite right, which is why I think this might be more of a PR move by Team Rand than a serious attempt at legal action.

Even if they could potentially win, I would think there'd be better uses for the money it would cost.

A lot of tv stations get nervous about this sort of thing and decide to just pull it instead of having a huge controversy on their hands. Remember at the end of the day they are in business to make money.