Labor Unions Renounce Anti-Dean Ads They Financed

[Freddie Stubbs]

A secretive political group financed in part by labor unions has raised $500,000 to air anti-Howard Dean ads in three early primary states, angering the Dean campaign and drawing sharp criticism from campaign finance reform advocates.

Two of the unions renounced the effort Tuesday, saying the ads — including one featuring an image of Osama bin Laden — are not what they thought they were paying for.

The group, called Americans for Jobs, Health Care & Progressive Values, was formed a month ago by veteran Democratic campaign staffers who refuse to identify their financial backers until Jan. 31. That's the deadline for the group to file federal tax forms. The group's treasurer is a longtime fundraiser for Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, one of Dean's rivals in the Democratic presidential race, and its spokesman recently quit as press secretary for Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential campaign. Both Gephardt and Kerry have denied any involvement with the group.

Gephardt on Tuesday urged the group — and any similar organizations — to "reveal their donors on a timely basis."

more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-ads17dec17,1,7267592.story?coll=la-home-politics

[MoonAndSun]

1. I'm glad this is hitting some of the big papers....

as a union member, I am proud that these union groups are condemming those disgusting Osama ads. No Dem should do that to another Dem, no matter how much you disagree with the other candidate.