Issaquah, WA, September 7, 2018 – Top campaign law attorneys for Dr. Kim Schrier’s campaign have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Seattle area TV stations airing a demonstrably false Congressional Leadership Fund ad, risking their FCC licences.
The Congressional Leadership Fund ad, titled “Refused,” falsely accuses Dr. Kim Schrier of personally refused to provide medical care to economically disadvantaged children and “refusing most Medicaid patients,” despite the fact that Dr. Schrier does treat Medicaid patients and has never refused a patient because of their insurance or ability to pay.
FCC regulations indicate that television stations have a duty “to protect the public from false, misleading or deceptive advertising,” and that failure to prevent the airing of “false and misleading advertising” can be cause for loss of license.
This false ad proves Paul Ryan’s super PAC — a dark money hit squad backed by insurance companies and big pharma — is ready to lie and say anything they need to keep control of the House and continue efforts to cut healthcare.
CLF’s attack is a desperate attempt to distract voters from Dino Rossi’s dismal record on healthcare. Rossi opposed efforts to expand CHIP to cover 72,000 uninsured Washington children, and he wants to repeal the ACA, which would cut healthcare for 32,000 people in WA-08 and send prices skyrocketing. The irony will not be lost on voters that DC insider dark money groups are spending millions to elect Dino Rossi, a career politician who has always been in the pocket of special interests.
Congressional Leadership Fund’s attack on Dr. Schrier is one in a series of egregiously false CLF ads in recent months. CLF has reserved $3.7 million in airtime in the Seattle market. We can expect many more desperate, untruthful attack ads to come out in the coming months. It is incumbent upon all station owners to properly fact check ads from a knowingly dishonest organization.
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