A non-partisan watchdog group is finding fault with a Democratic Governors Association-funded ad attacking former Republican congressman and Arkansas gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson. FactCheck.org, part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, says several claims made in a television ad criticizing Hutchinson for excessive spending as an undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security are misleading.
The ad’s voiceover said, “No D.C. insider should allow huge tax payer funded bonuses to government bureaucrats but Asa did.”
FactCheck.org on Wednesday said the “birthday party” was not for Hutchinson. It was the 2nd anniversary of the Transportation and Security Administration. The fact checking website says Hutchinson’s role with Homeland Security had no authority over TSA, its internal budgeting or spending matters.
The DGA advertisement also attacks Hutchinson for wasteful spending on bonuses at the Transportation Security Agency.
The ad’s voiceover states, “No political appointee should ever allow half a million in tax dollars to be spent just to throw a birthday party. Well, you guessed it Asa did that too.”
FactCheck.org says, as a former undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security, Hutchinson did not have budgetary oversight over the TSA, and while the TSA is part of Homeland Security, Hutchinson’s position had no responsibility for internal matters like bonuses, expenditures, and personnel.
In the past, FactCheck.org has also criticized Republican ads for distorting the truth about Hutchinson’s Democratic opponent Mike Ross.
