Why Does Obama Object To Anti-Biden Ad On South Carolina TV? Cease-And-Desist Letter Sent To Trump Super PAC

Attorneys for former President Barack Obama has sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding a misleading pro-Trump super PAC ad attacking former Vice President Joe Biden be withdrawn and that all South Carolina television stations immediately stop running it.

The ad by the pro-Trump Committee to Defend the President takes a portion of the audiobook version of Obama’s book, “Dreams from My Father,” describing how the black community has been wronged by the Democratic party even though they were straight-ticket voters, and implies Biden, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, was responsible.

The letter to the committee’s executive director says the ad uses Obama’s image and voice without permission and “is clearly intended to mislead the target audience.”

"This despicable ad is straight out of the Republican disinformation playbook, and it’s clearly designed to suppress turnout among minority voters in South Carolina by taking President Obama’s voice out of context and twisting his words to mislead viewers," Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said in a statement.

Filings with the Federal Election Commission show the committee spent $250,000 to air the ad in South Carolina.

South Carolina holds its Democratic primary Saturday and the contest is seen as a do-or-die moment for Biden, who scored disappointing finishes in three earlier contests behind frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

A Monmouth University poll of likely Democratic voters released Thursday indicated Biden is leading in the state with 36% support, followed by Sanders with 16% and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer with 15%. Among black voters, Biden’s support was 45%.

“Biden appears to be holding on to his core support among African Americans in South Carolina,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

South Carolina Republicans plan to meddle in the primary by taking advantage of the state’s open primary system to participate in the Democratic contest by throwing their support to Sanders in what has been dubbed “Operation Chaos.”

Biden Thursday tweeted a clip from Tuesday’s debate in which he said he doesn’t take African American support for granted.

“I’ve worked like the devil to earn it and will continue to work for every last vote,” Biden said.

A spokesman for Biden told the Washington Post the ad is “a despicable torrent of misinformation.”