Nothing Says “I Love Liberty” More Than Threatening To Sue TV Stations That Run Ads Attacking Your Campaign

Ken AshfordElection 2016Leave a Comment

Oh, Rand.  You’re playing hardball now.  Grow up:

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.”