Obama Asks DOJ To Block Terrorist Ad, Investigate Donors

***Check back for updates***

The Politico has the story that Barack Obama has appealed to the Department of Justice in his efforts to fight a Republican billionare's ads that connect the Democratic candidate to foreign and domestic terrorists:

Obama's campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the "American Issues Project," the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign - and tens of thousands of supporters - are pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads with some success: CNN and Fox News are not airing the attacks, and some local affiliates have also refused.

Obama has also launched his own response ad, directly addressing Simmons' attempt to link him to domestic terror.

The project is "a knowing and willful attempt to violate the strictures of federal election law," Obama general counsel Bob Bauer wrote to Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Keeney last week in a letter provided to Politico. Bauer argued that by advocating Obama's defeat, the ad should be subject to the contribution limits of federal campaign law, not the anything-goes regime of issue advocacy.

The Huffington Post's Seth Colter Walls had previously reported on this ad's questionable legal status.

The Ayers ad mentions Obama's name, uses the word "elect" (in the form of a question), and mentions not a single legislative issue, and quite obviously takes a position on his character and fitness for office. Thus, if an incorporated 501c(4) produced the ad and paid for its broadcast with corporate funds, it should be filing FEC disclosure reports.

Click here to read that story, and to see the ad in question

Obama has also rolled out a new ad that denounces the McCain attack. Click here to watch Obama's ad.

Simmons, who put out the ad, is an economic powerhouse for Republicans.

The spokesman for the American Issues Project, the independent group whose ad is the most negative of the cycle and links Obama to terrorism, says the group just filed a report naming its sole donor.



The donor, spokesman Christian Pinkston said, is Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons, who made his first fortune in chain pharmacies and is now listed as the 73rd richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated by Forbes at $2.1 billion.



Simmons, a major Republican donor, gave maximum $2,300 contributions to Senator John McCain last year, as well as to former Governor Mitt Romney and to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Click here to read that story

Earlier: Experts: Obama-Ayers Ad May Be Illegal

Comments

[DaOne]

Can anyone pay Mr. Simmons a visit?

[meanguy]

"Can anyone pay Mr. Simmons a visit?

maybe ayers could leave him a present?

[CTmom13]

From Daily KOS

William Ayers, some elderly man who was involved in questionable activities before I was born, is a cause celebre among the right wing.
But whatever he did, he did before I was born.
A John McCain supporter advocates killing police officers, even telling people how to do it - "If the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms insists upon a firefight, give them a firefight. Just remember, they're wearing flak jackets and you're better off shooting for the head."
I am talking, of course, about G. Gordon Liddy.
• varro's diary :: ::
•
A quick search of Opensecrets.org shows that the man who suggested shooting Federal agents in the head in 1994 (when I was alive, and even could legally drink) donated $1000 to John McCain on February 11, 2008
Opensecrets.org doesn't show McCain returning the money of someone who advocates shooting Federal agents in the head.
Not four years after Liddy advocated shooting Federal agents in the head, John McCain had a fundraiser at this terrorism advocate's house.

[metalpipe]

Makes sence this guy Simmons made his money in pharmacies. This is one of the fat cats that is causing our financial failure in this country. Anything to make a dime, and anything to keep his fortunes growing endlessly. This is the face of the enemy.

[Raymondf]

I have been trying to tell you that Fox News is fair. By not running the ad just proves it.

[goofticket]

Fox doesn't run it as a paid advertisment...they run it, over and over as a "news" story.
The FCC should investigate Fox....but wait, a federal court already ruled they aren't news.
They are legally an entertainment division, of the entertainment company, 20th Century Fox Films.

Go see the Florida ruling regarding the 'fair' Monsanto story.
Google "Fox Monsanto Florida"

[metalpipe]

Sorry, bad editing on last sentence:

and how in keeping us distracted with drivel that barely qualifies as more than a circus, they lower the over-all IQ of this great nation with each passing day.

[PHM]

Fox news DID run the ad...then "claimed" it was a mistake. FixNews is a hack job for the radical right and if you see that as fair you're a complete nutcase with no moral center.

[BCubedReg]

Fox did run the ad... then they said oops.. we made a mistake.. we weren't supposed to show that. But Fox did run the ad.

[ihavehope]

they did run the ad. wake up.

[metalpipe]

Raymond, the fact that you are here, 'giving peace a chance' as it were, is reason for me to believe you have a higher chance of reaching an elevated state of enlightenment before you die. You may avoid reincarnation as 'a snail' in your next life if you stay long enough. Not that there is anyting wrong with being a snail.

Try not trusting everything you see on TV, and do a real investigation of Fox's biased news coverage, how quickly and easily they slide (as if floating on bacon grease) into non-issue territory, and how in keep us distracted with drivel that barely qualifies there broadcast as more than a circus, they lower the over-all IQ of this great nation with each passing day.

[Janskats]

I'm waiting to see the ad where a "maverick" steer is chased back to the herd by a couple of Scottie dogs..like Bush's. Meanwhile, the VO reminds us of all the flips and flops McSame has made, from what he supposedly stood for, back in "them thar days", till obviously HE doesn't even know where he stands on anything, anymore! With every one of these revelations, the herd moves this way, then that way..until it finishes up with the steer's horns falling off, and it turns into just another docile, cud-chewing cow. Even funnier..Rethugs hated McClaim for his olden-day "stands" against the party..the few that there were..and would never have voted for him unless he switched over the party line! Now they want us to think that he never changed..and that they're happy with that! What a bunch of schizos! The only similarity between a "maverick" and McBush is that they're both full of bull!

[Dan1967]

McCain will be 72 years old this Friday and his policies are the same policies as Bush. Do you want 4 more years of the same old policies that have our country in the mess that it is in now?

McCain is for NAFTA, and Obama is against NAFTA. Barack Obama will keep jobs in our country and he will fight for the rights of American workers.

McCain owns 7 houses and he will give tax breaks only to the richest of Americans who make over 200,000 per year. Barack Obama will give tax breaks to the middle class and the poor.

Will McCain have a military draft if he is elected President? He can't have a 100 year war without a military draft.

The Republicans are the party of the rich and the rich oil companies. The Democrats are the party of the people. Get to the polls in November and vote for Barack Obama and lets get a win for the people!

VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA AND LETS GET A DEMOCRAT WIN IN NOVEMBER!

[heal57]

Obama/Biden will win for sure; no contest.

[Raymondf]

So what Biden is just 5 1/2 years younger tha McCain. So what's your point.

[poco767b]

McCain's policies are arcane, his age is fairly irrelevant

[metalpipe]

If you can't see the difference between McCain's spiritless, lifeless carcass and Biden's obviously vibrant energy, you need a serious wake up call.

[Joeblue]

Is Biden running for president?

[Cil]

POINT?

5 1/2 years is long enough to start your 2nd term as PRESIDENT! and you can double that, since it is very obvious that JOE BIDEN IS FAR FROM SENILITY, can you say the same for JOHN McCAIN?

[Concerned1]

Biden has more vigor and excitement and can debate.

[anamorphicart]

Republicans are so nasty, I won't be surprised when we catch them eating their own!

[1028jenn]

While the DOJ is investigating this, they should look into McCain's military record. Why are there so many unanswered questions about McCain's naval record ? Why won't McCain release ALL of his naval records -- what does McCain have to hide ? If he's so proud of his service, then he should make public all of the documents describing his missions. I'd like to know why he has the reputation of being a "hellion" and "anti-authority" while in the navy. I, for one, would like to more about how he managed to have five of his planes shot down, and why there were explosions and deaths on two of the aircraft carriers on which he served. If McCain has nothing to hide, then he should let us see ALL of his records.

[gorideabike]

Wait a hold it. The Oriskany fire was in 1966 and did not involve McCain. My research does not convince me that the 1967 USS Forestall disaster, began when Lt. Commander McCain "wet started" his jet. It is reported that his attack bomber jet's fuel tank was struck with a Zuni air to ground missile fired from another jet while they were preparing to take off. I do not know what caused the missile to launch, but that seems to be the initiating action. McCain was lucky to survive by jumping off his jet's nose and running through burning JP4. The pilot who's jet launched the missile died in the disaster, as bombs cooked off and jets exploded. The sailors who responded were absolutely heroic. McCain was quickly transferred to the USS Oriskany where he flew from until getting tagged by a SAM missile over North Viet Nam. I am pretty sure about this much of the story. See McCains military record on the web.
OK - His Reverse Ace record was 3 crashes, 1 shot down, and one shot on the carrier deck for a total of 5 US aircraft. You get credit for the bratty part. He was the son and grandson of admirals. As a privileged character, he never had to submit to authority, matriculate or learn responsibility. Flight school is reserved for top graduates and the above mentioned privileged characters.
Peace

[olivia]

It is high time people started to be held accountable for slander.

[darthdarcy]

According to that Conservative Scholar Jerome Corsi it's John McCain who is supported by Terrorists and Connected to the Mob..!

It must be true, he wrote it..!

[BigRube]

I bet that DOJ finds Sean Hannity's name on the list of donors to the ad.

[Raymondf]

Sean is not that bad a person. He would never donate to something as vile as this ad. Sean is just a devout conservative, just like most of you are devout liberals.

[BCubedReg]

Don't kid yourself.. he really is that bad. And I'm not a devout liberal. I'm a devout American. So it will pain me to watch america continue it's death spiral with a McCain win.

[5dancingisraelis]

Why is this any surprise? The Jewish agenda for the United States (AIPAC) will not rest until Barack Obama goes down in flames. The choice between Clinton or McCain is win win for Israel. Obama? No. He wants peace. Israel can count on Hillary to "obliterate" Iran. They are already armed with 150 nuclear warheads. They are just waiting for the United States to make the first move.

[wmg57]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to blame the Jews. That fits right into the small mindedness of mob politics. "Jewish agenda" . Yeah, right. Dolt.

[Gatormouth]

I am almost giddy! A Democrat candidate for higher office attacked by a highly questionable political add in a Repub slime attack? Nothing new here. But the Dem, like a sabreist, from a calm ready position parrys the attack and in a lightning ripposette skewers the opponent. Luverly! About time, doncha think??

[ojim]

Oh yes.

[thefringecenter]

Big O has asked the SchumerMcKasey DOJ to investigate wrong doing? I just wet my pants laughing.

[RedKnuckles]

then put on a new pair of depends...

[RustyGranite]

Your sister is going to be very disappointed at what you did to her Juicy© sweatpants.

[BCubedReg]

You're right.. it will get no where fast with this republican justice department. But at least he showed the courage and fortitude to do it.

[meanguy]

yeah, it takes a LOT of guts to sic government lawyers on your political opponents...

[PATina]

I agree... this DOJ is a joke. While I feel Sen. O SHOULD have asked for an investigation... I hope he's not holding his breath.

[john85msy]

Yes Sir!!!!!!!!!!!! Sue Sue and Sue some more.

[Agent420]

Are you talking about my sister?

[TN]

That's right barack we are a country of laws and you and your IQ of 168 know'em all. Go get'em and then let the masses know who is funding this stuff. Maybe they will go to another pharmacy and you can hit him where it hurts.

[ojim]

Is that his real IQ score?

[RustyGranite]

172 and 166 respectively, according to his Stanford-Banai IQ Certification.

Obama is a certifiable clinical genius.

[BCubedReg]

Yes.. It's Obama the "A+" student versus McCain the "C-" student.

Problem is.. most of the people is this nation are "C-" students with and IQ of less than 100 (85 is considered mildly retarded).

Who do you thin they are going to vote for... doesn't bode well.

[SouthPrairie]

Money well spent. But that trillion for a war based on lies--not so much. Hypocrites.