Invoking Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines, U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-Dist. 10) recently demanded that a Chicago-based TV station immediately remove “deceptive” on-air advertising implying a connection between Dold and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In an Oct. 22 letter addressed to WMAQ-TV, Dold's attorneys said the station was running a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) ad that contains “false assertions against Bob Dold intended to deceive your viewers."
Dold quoted the commercial as stating “(P)ublicly, he (Dold) says he won’t support Donald Trump, but behind closed doors, Dold headlined a fundraiser, raised money to beat Hillary Clinton. If Bob Dold is helping to elect Donald Trump, why would we elect him?”
Furious that his name was linked to the Trump, Dold said the fundraising event in question was specifically limited to local Lake County Republicans and did not involve him.
Additionally, Dold demanded the removal of the DCCC ad from the TV airwaves for insinuating that he was privately raising money to defeat Democratic presidential candidate Clinton. The organization mentioned an event at which Dold appeared called “Beat Hillary at the Distillery.” Dold said the funds raised went exclusively to local candidates.
In his letter, Dold cited supporting evidence of fraudulent framing, furnishing Mark Shaw’s name. Shaw, who is chairman of the Lake County Republicans, “can attest to the distribution of the funds,” Dold said.
Dold specifically blamed his opponent in this year's election, Democrat Brad Schneider, and the DCCC for the gaffe. The competition between Dold and Schneider dates back several election cycles, and Dold’s territory, the 10th Congressional District, has proved a highly competitive one in the 2016 election.
As an incumbent, Dold is seeking re-election to a second term against Schneider. While Dold faced no opposition in the March 15 Republican primary, Schneider defeated Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering to secure the Democratic nomination. Schneider previously served one term in the U.S. House until he was ousted by Dold in 2014.
Evidently, Dold was not alone in his response. Four other candidates from far-flung states -- U.S. Reps. Mike Coffman (R-CO), David Jolly (R-FL) and John Katko (R-NY) and Pennsylvania Republican U.S. House candidate Brian Fitzpatrick -- collectively insist that certain commercials paid for by the DCCC provide false or misleading information by linking them to Trump.
All five Republicans have, at some point, gone on record saying that they do not support Trump, according to CapitolFax.com, an online organization that bills itself as “Your Illinois News Radar.”
“All five have a bit of a case: The DCCC ads do use some creativity to tie them to Trump,” CapitolFax said.
“You have a legal duty ‘to protect the public from false, misleading or deceptive advertising,’” Dold, citing federal FCC regulations, said in his letter to WMAQ-TV.
“We ask that you act immediately to protect your viewers and prevent any further dissemination of this false and deceptive advertisement,” Dold said.
The letter was signed by “Counsel to Dold for Congress” Jason Torchinsky and Erin Clark. Dold is represented by the firm of Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky PLLC of Warrenton, Virginia. The firm specializes in campaign finance and election law.
Dold, a native of Evanston, attended New Trier High School, where he excelled in athletics. Dold earned a bachelor’s degree from Denison University in Granville, Ohio; a law degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana; and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Active in his local community, Dold has served as a board member for the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County and the Northeast Illinois Council for the Boy Scouts of America. Prior to his election to political office, he ran his own business.
Illinois' 10th Congressional District is situated in the state’s northeast corner. It consists mainly of northern Chicago suburbs and most of Lake County, as well as portions of Cook County.
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