Maynard
Rahall
WILLIAMSON -- Republican challenger Spike Maynard responded to a call from attorneys for U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall's campaign ordering television stations to stop airing an ad by the former state Supreme Court justice.
On Friday, Maynard issued a statement saying the ad, "proven true," would continue to run.
"Rahall realizes his proud support of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi is viewed negatively by the people of West Virginia. His record is what is negative, not our ads. Just like a 34-year Washington insider, Rahall thinks he can bully television stations into doing things his way," Maynard said.
Maynard said none of Rahall's tactics come as a surprise.
"This is the same guy who has bullied the people he represents into a huge government takeover of their health care at enormous costs and used their money to pay for abortions and failed stimulus bills," he said.
The commercial in question says Rahall's vote for the 2009 Obama administration stimulus package helped create jobs making windmills in China.
"It's on our jeans, even our children's toys: 'Made in China,'" the voiceover says. "As part of the Obama Pelosi team, Rahall voted for a bill that led to billions in tax breaks for foreign companies creating Chinese jobs.
"Rahall's vote helped foreign companies create Chinese jobs making windmills. With skyrocketing unemployment, only a politician who's been in Washington for 34 years would vote to help foreign companies making Chinese windmills."
Here is some of the letter Rahall's campaign attorneys -- Charleston lawyers Rudy DiTrapano and Sean McGinley -- sent Wednesday to television stations airing the commercial, according to media reports:
"There was no bill that gave 'billions of dollars in tax breaks to foreign companies to create jobs in China,' and certainly, Congressman Rahall did not and never would vote for such an absurd bill... Your station attempts in its news programming to fairly and accurately report on the actions taken by our public representatives. It would be most ironic if your reporters worked hard to hold public officials accountable, while your station simultaneously allowed lies like those in this advertisement to mislead the public. Please pull this false and defamatory ad and do not allow it to be played on the air."
Mik Carpenter, Maynard's campaign manager, said on Thursday morning that his camp stood behind the ad and would not pull it down.
