CHARLESTON – In its first television ad of West Virginia Attorney General race, incumbent Patrick Morrisey’s campaign targets his opponents ties to Hillary Clinton.
The ad, which is titled “Reynolds-Clinton: Against West Virginia,” can be viewed online. It also “exposes Doug Reynolds’ lies,” according to Morrisey campaign spokeswoman Kayla Berube.
The ad, which will begin airing on television Sept. 28, “reveals that Doug Reynolds has contributed thousands of dollars to Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president and voted in support of a cap and trade scheme that would have killed coal jobs in West Virginia, Berube said. “It also responds to Reynolds’ smear attacks, which have been found to be completely untrue.”
She said both Reynolds and Clinton have trouble telling the truth.
“Reynolds thinks that if he spends his inherited family fortune on a smear campaign against Attorney General Morrisey, he can trick voters into forgetting the truth about his record,” Berube said. “While Attorney General Morrisey fought for West Virginians’ jobs and way of life, even leading national efforts to defeat Obama’s Power Plan at the U.S. Supreme Court, Doug Reynolds chose to stand with Hillary Clinton and in direct opposition to the best interests of West Virginia.
“Attorney General Morrisey looks forward to continuing to discuss his strong record of stopping Obama’s illegal EPA overreach, leading the fight to combat the state’s substance abuse epidemic, and returning tens of millions of dollars back to taxpayers.”
Reynolds’ campaign spokeswoman responded, saying Morrisey continues to lie.
Pharmaceutical lobbyist Patrick Morrisey is not only unethical, he’s also dishonest,” Lynette Maselli said. “He is so desperate that he’s willing to say and do anything to buy this election again.”
Reynolds’ campaign released a new television ad this week as well. It’s called “Truth,” and it also can be viewed online.
“We already know Morrisey lied about removing himself from a lawsuit involving his wife’s client,” Maselli said. “Why does he think West Virginians will believe him now, when the office he and his D.C. friends bought is slipping away?
“This race is in a dead heat because our state is tired of a corrupt Attorney General who is looking out for himself and his rich, out-of-state friends.”
As for Morrisey’s latest ad, Maselli says “it’s just the same lies being recycled again and again.”
“Morrisey and his out-of-state, dark money Super PAC are spending millions of dollars to flood the airwaves with lies because this race is slipping through their fingers,” Maselli said. “The differences between Doug and Morrisey are crystal clear: Doug is a fourth generation West Virginian, a job creator, and an honest man with the utmost integrity who will always put the people of West Virginia first. He is not bought and paid for by out-of-state special interests like Patrick Morrisey.
“In short, he’s everything Patrick Morrisey is not, and that is why Doug Reynolds will be elected West Virginia’s next Attorney General.”
Maselli said Morrisey’s ad is full of desperation.
“Morrisey says Doug is anti-coal, but the United Mine Workers have endorsed Doug because he’s always been a strong advocate for our coal miners and the coal industry,” she said. “And, when Morrisey and his friends say Doug wanted to cripple the Attorney General’s office, it’s another lie, simply because Morrisey doesn’t want his office to be held to a higher ethical standard.
“He has no intentions of discussing the real issues facing real West Virginians, so he’s doing what he does best: lie.”