WI: GOP attorney tries filing ad complaint against Obama campaign
3:03 PM
A northern Wisconsin attorney with ties to Republican congressional campaigns says he's filed a complaint with the Oneida County Sheriff's Department against Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign, claiming it violated state law that prohibits misrepresentations in political ads.
Sam Gold, who worked for former U.S. Rep. Scott Klug, a Madison Republican, and managed Republican John Sharpless' 2000 campaign against current Dem incumbent U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, said the sheriff's department told him it was unsure if it had jurisdiction in the case.
Read Gold's press release announcing the complaint
UPDATE: ABC News' Jake Tapper says the Missouri 'truth squad' story referenced by Gold has since been "dial(ed) back" by the reporter who initially reported on it.
Republicans -- led by the Governor of Missouri and the Republican National Committee -- are alleging that there is something untoward about the "Truth Squad" the Obama campaign has set up in the "Show Me" State. The problem, these Republicans say, is that these "Truth Squad" members are prosecutors and sheriffs with law enforcement powers, thus creating an atmosphere where Missourians might be afraid of being prosecuted for criticizing Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.Read Tapper's piece for more
There is no evidence, however, that these prosecutors are threatening to use their prosecutorial powers in such a way.
And despite GOP complaints that the mere presence of prosecutors on the "Truth Squad" could intimidate Obama's critics, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have used prosecutors on their "Truth Squads" too, prompting no complaints from the GOP at the time.
