Political ad that falsely attacked Perlmutter is pulled by '527' group

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 12, 2006 at midnight

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An out-of-state "527" group pulled a political television ad Wednesday that blatantly mischaracterized an immigration bill that 7th Congressional District Democratic candidate Ed Perlmutter once co-sponsored in the state Senate.

The ad - titled "Amnesty" - claimed the Perlmutter bill defined the types of services that can be granted to "illegal immigrants."

That claim was false. The bill in question (SB 97-171) sought to define services for "legal immigrants."

"This sunk to a new level," Perlmutter spokesman Scott Chase said. "This wasn't distortion or misleading. This was an out-and-out lie."

The group, Americans for Honesty, that produced the ad replaced it Wednesday with a similar spot. The new ad truthfully says, "Ed Perlmutter favors an earned path to citizenship for illegal immigrants."

The group is referred to as a 527 based on the section of the federal finance law that allows such groups to spend money outside campaign finance rules.

The group paid $257,000 for air time in the Denver market, according to KUSA 9News.

The group did not respond to a request for comment.

O'Donnell's campaign said it supported the ad being taken off the air because it contained false information.

"It's another example of these 527s not being held accountable for what they're saying," O'Donnell spokesman Jonathan Tee said.

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