October 16, 2010 01:29 AM UTC

Perlmutter Wants False Ads Pulled

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• by: Colorado Pols

The campaign of Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter is asking local television stations to stop running an ad from the American Action Network that Perlmutter’s camp says has been proven false. From a press release:

Today, the Perlmutter campaign sent a letter asking TV stations in Denver to remove an advertisement attacking Ed Perlmutter  based on the fact that it is “grossly inaccurate…and includes claims that independent news organizations have already declared false.”  Attached is the letter sent to station managers today, as well as a fact check on the entire ad.

In addition to numerous false allegations, the commercial alleges the health insurance reform bill “spent our money on health insurance for illegal immigrants.”  This is beyond political gamesmanship, this is a blatant lie, and the worst kind of scare-tactics that TV stations shouldn’t be a party to.  The health insurance reform bill signed into  law by the President states that undocumented immigrants are specifically “excluded from receiving any benefits under health care reform.” Perlmutter voted to ensure this provision was inserted in the law.  See the attached letter for independently-verified citations.

The million dollar commercial is paid for by the American Action Network (AAN) and is funded by the very big Wall Street financial firms Ed voted to crack down on.

There is precedent, both in Colorado and in other states, for television stations to remove ads that are intentionally misleading or inaccurate. Click here to read the full letter from law firm Rothgerber, Johnson & Lyons.