Los Angeles City Councilwoman 's congressional campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday after the release of an online campaign video that portrays Hahn as a stripper with gun-toting black gang members taking money from her.
The complaint to the FEC asks for enforcement action against Republican tea party candidate , his Friends of Craig Huey for Congress committee and the group Turn Right USA, which produced the YouTube video attacking Hahn, a Democrat.
Both capaigns have .
Turn Right USA is a new so-called Super PAC that filed papers June 13 with the FEC as an Independent Political Action Committee, according to FEC documents. These types of committees are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, but can have no communication or coordination with the campaign they support. Turn Right USA released its online video the day after filing with the FEC.
The Hahn campaign's complaint to the FEC alleges that Turn Right USA used the same Gardena address as CampaignLA, a political campaign shop that has been listed in Huey's FEC disclosure reports as one of his campaign vendors. The TurnRightUSA.org website also listed the email address "doug@campaignla.com" as the registering agent for its domain name, the complaint said.
The complaint also pointed to a press release sent out Wednesday by Turn Right USA that said founder G. Rick Marshall was previously a volunteer for the Huey campaign, but "left over its strategic direction."
The complaint states that Turn Right USA has made a prohibited coordinated campaign contribution to Huey's campaign, that Craig Huey and the Friends of Craig Huey for Congress committee received an illegal coordinated contribution and that Turn Right USA has issued a false disclaimer by stating in the online ad that it was "NOT authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."
“If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, acts like a duck—it’s a duck,” said Hahn campaign manager Dave Jacobson. “Craig Huey and his campaign consultants need to own up to their role in producing this unconscionably sexist and racist attack ad. The people of the 36th District do not want to be represented by a man who uses such shockingly vile tactics and then lies about it in an attempt to cover up his involvement.”
The ad, titled "Give us your cash, b--ch," was immediately condemned by Hahn and Huey upon its release.
"Along with many other residents of the South Bay, I am outraged over this racist and sexist ad," Huey said in a statement. "I unequivocally denounce it. … The ad was not authorized and not affiliated with my campaign."
In a statement on her website, Hahn called the ad "degrading to women in the worst way" and encouraged supporters to donate to her campaign to "send a message to Craig Huey and his cronies that the people … deserve better."
Jimmy Camp, Huey's campaign spokesman, vehemently denied the allegation that Turn Right USA and the Huey campaign coordinated with each other.
"There is absolutely no connection between the Huey campaign and [Turn Right USA]," he said. "I am offended by the ad. I am offended by the group. I think they're despicable for distracting the voters of this district with this crap."
Turn Right USA said in its press release that there was never any collusion between itself and the Huey campaign and has refused Huey's request to remove the video. Turn Right USA called the video a parody of Hahn's involvement with gang intervention groups.
"We are a non-connected, expenditure only political action committee (SuperPAC), definitely not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee," the press release said.
Hahn and Huey were the top two-vote getters in a May special primary election that drew more than a dozen candidates vying to fill the 36th Congressional District seat that became vacant when longtime in February to join a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. They will face each other in a July 12 runoff election.
