Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District, said Tuesday that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is using money from foreign governments and corporations to attack his campaign for re-election.
Perriello, in a conference call with reporters, said “this latest move is beyond outrageous, to being fundamentally un-American and undemocratic.” He said companies in Bahrain, China and Russia, and in some cases those governments too, were behind the ads.
Perriello demanded that his Republican opponent, Robert Hurt, repudiate the ads, which Perriello said are to start appearing on TV today.
Hurt’s campaign said it didn’t know anything about the ads, and the U.S. Chamber said the ads were not being financed with foreign money.
“We are unaware of any ads that he is referring to,” said Amanda Henneberg, Hurt campaign spokeswoman.
Tita Freeman, vice president of communications for the U.S. Chamber, said the “accusations are completely erroneous” and “no foreign money is used to fund political activities.”
Perriello and other Democrats said that the Chamber has chapters in other countries, including Bahrain, and that their membership dues go into the general fund of the U.S. Chamber, where the money can be used to buy political ads.
The U.S. Chamber first began running ads against Perriello last November after he voted for the first version of the health care bill that passed the House of Representatives.
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