Charlie Sykes: Sykes Writes

KLOPPENBURG DOUBLES DOWN ON A SMEAR

By Charlie Sykes

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 Despite the plea from a sexual asault victim that she repudicate an attack ad against her opponent, liberal Joanne Kloppenburg is refusing to speak out.

Yesterday  one of the victims in the case issued this letter, calling on the GWC to remove what he calls an "offensive, inaccurate and out of context context." He pleaded with Kloppenburhg to urge that it be removed. She refused.

Patrick Mcilheran looks at the backfiring smear here...

As of Friday night, Kloppenburg owns it.

Prosser asked Kloppenburg to call for the ad to be taken down. She declined to do so.

"It's not my ad," Kloppenburg said. "Like it or not, third parties have a First Amendment right to run ads of their own choosing."

The ad by the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee cites Prosser's decision as Outagamie County district attorney in 1978 not to prosecute Father John Patrick Feeney after hearing allegations Feeney had molested boys. Feeney was convicted in 2004 of sexually abusing one of the boys and attempting to sexually abuse the other.

Prosser called the ad despicable and said it lies about what happened. He implied during the debate that he was considering legal action against the group. Afterward, he said he was "absolutely" thinking of doing so.

"There are statements that are highly misleading and put me in a false light," he said. The ad also includes "an outright, objective lie, and it's inexcusable."

During the debate, he said: "It is false factually. It is malicious beyond belief. It is the worst ad we can think of that has ever been run in a judicial campaign."

**

UPDATE: Troy Merryfield's brother, Todd,  is also denouncing the ad. From an email he sent to me Friday:

Good Morning Charlie!

I’m listening into your show right now. I am Troy Merryfield’s brother who he references in his statement about that despicable ad....

I just wanted to let you know that I am completely supportive of my brother’s statement.

Thanks for talking about this.

Todd Merryfield