In the News
ICYMI: ‘Rick Scott’s New Ad Could Land Him in Hot Water With the Department of Defense’ [American Journal News]
“Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott’s new ad features American servicemembers in uniform but lacks the legally required disclaimer for using such images.”
New reporting from American Journal News highlights how Rick Scott’s latest TV ad violates Department of Defense policy by featuring military personnel in uniform without the legally required disclaimer. In the wake of two devastating hurricanes, Scott is only focused on boosting himself in the final weeks of the election. Unfortunately, this is nothing new — Scott has a long record of using disasters to score political points while voting against disaster relief funding Floridians desperately need.
Click here to read the full story. See key excerpts below:
- Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott’s new ad features American servicemembers in uniform but lacks the legally required disclaimer for using such images.
- The 30-second ad, titled “Leadership,” features local sheriffs praising Scott’s work on hurricane and natural disaster relief. It shows images of Scott touring hurricane wreckage with uniformed National Guard members. The ad is running statewide in Florida.
- The Department of Defense (DoD) has strict rules dictating how images of servicemembers are used in campaign materials. Generally, a disclaimer is required clearly stating that the images do not imply endorsement by DoD or the armed services. The purpose of this rule is to maintain the apolitical stance of the U.S. military.
- No such disclaimer appears in Scott’s ad.
- An earlier version of this ad was shared online by Scott’s campaign. That version also lacked the required disclaimer.
- Failure to comply with this rule can lead to the DoD demanding the ad be taken down or leave Scott’s campaign vulnerable to legal action.
- In 2017, President Donald Trump was forced to scrap an ad that featured an image of National Security Advisor H.R. McMcaster in uniform. The image did not include a disclaimer and was used without McMaster’s or the DoD’s consent.
- A Scott campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.