A TV station in Connecticut has agreed to stop running the right-wing ad I flagged yesterday that attacks Dem Rep. Chris Murphy with various false claims and distortions, including the assertion that health reform could land people in jail, the Murphy campaign confirms.
As I reported, the ad is bankrolled by the American Action Network, another one of those shadowy conservative groups that doesn't disclose its donors. The group has sunk at least $445,000 into attacking Murphy, who is running for reelection in a tough district against Republican Sam Caligiuri.
The ad recycles several long-debunked claims: Health reform means $500 billion in Medicare cuts; it will require the hiring of thousands of IRS agents; and it could lead to "jail time for anyone without coverage."
Within days of the American Action Network (AAN), a shadowy group running nearly $1 million worth of television ads against Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5), launching a new attack, FoxCT has pulled the spot from the airwaves, stating that it is "not accurate."
"This ad destroys any credibility this shadowy group may have had. AAN has been dumping a million bucks on the air, in an attempt to steal this election from the people of the Fifth District. Their blatant misstatements of the truth didn't pass the laugh test, and now have failed a legal challenge," said Murphy.
In an email from FoxCT to the Murphy campaign's lawyer, FoxCT stated: "We have verified that the ad in question is not accurate and will pull their (AAN) schedule going forward."
FoxCT's action comes on the heels of the Washington Post deeming the ad "riddled with falsehoods and distortions." The Washington Post analysis of the AAN ad outlined a laundry list of factual inaccuracies in the ad regarding what the new health care law actually does regarding Medicare, the hiring of IRS agents, and punishment for those who go without health care. Read more
Senator Caligiuri has repeatedly stood by this false attack, most recently last night at a debate with Murphy in Danbury.
"The fact that Senator Caligiuri is unwilling to call a lie a lie says something about his judgment. Did he really think that people would go to jail if they didn't get health insurance? Chris and Senator Caligiuri can disagree on the policy, but to support the wildly false accusations in this ad is just plain wrong," said Kristen Bossi, Murphy's spokeswoman.
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