As the U.S. continues to grapple with the nomination of credibly accused sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh to the nation’s Supreme Court heading into the weekend, it’s also hurtling towards the midterms. Democrats are likely going to take control of the U.S. House come November, and their path to a majority just might include California Republican Duncan Hunter’s seat.
He’s growing increasingly desperate. In a new video ad, his campaign seeks to associate his opponent Ammar Campa-Najjar with terrorism, building on his grandfather’s participation in the infamous terror attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics that left a dozen people dead.
Watch the ad below.
To be clear, though, the present day Democratic Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar has no direct association whatsoever with that event. His grandfather died more than a dozen years before he was even born, and in the time since, he’s served in official capacities in the White House itself under Barack Obama and in the U.S. Department of Labor as a public affairs officer.
As he noted in his response to the new smear campaign from Hunter, that means his background and associations have long been vetted.
He explained:
‘It’s sad to see Congressman Hunter lose his grip on reality, but he knows better. He knows he’s not above the law. He knows I served in the White House and the administration, meaning I was given a security clearance by the Secret Service after a thorough background check. He knows I’m not responsible for my family’s actions, just like his wife isn’t responsible for his.’
That last part is a jab at legal trouble that Hunter is currently facing.
He and his wife have both been indicted for incessant misuse of campaign funds — and as part of a defense, he’s blamed some of the misused funds on his wife. In reality, though, both of them were in on the longstanding and complicated plot to divert campaign funds for personal expenses. He can’t escape that fact, no matter how many baseless allegations he lobs at his opponent.
While yes, Campa-Najjar is supported by the Council of American Islamic Relations, as Hunter’s new ad claims, the concurrent claim that either that group or Campa-Najjar himself are connected to overseas interests including the Muslim Brotherhood is baseless.
The ad builds on Islamophobia stoked by the president Hunter has been proud to defend, Donald Trump. He and New York’s Chris Collins were among the very first members of Congress to endorse the businessman’s insurgent candidacy, and now, they’ve both been indicted. Collins has faced charges of illegal insider trading.
Whether these charges will help derail the GOP’s efforts to maintain control of the U.S. House remains to be seen. Collins briefly suspended his re-election campaign, but Hunter hasn’t (obviously). Ironically, Collins also faced criticism for publishing a racist ad. His campaign released a spot which lied about what his opponent, Democrat Nate McMurray, was actually saying while he was speaking Korean.
The racism isn’t paying off. While both Hunter and Collins are running in races that “lean Republican” according to the Cook Political Report, overall FiveThirtyEight currently gives Democrats a 4 in 5 chance of becoming the majority party in the U.S. House after November.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
