The Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint Wednesday against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch for “deliberately misleading” constituents by failing to define a YouTube video as a campaign ad.
Kleefisch, along with Gov. Scott Walker, is eligible for recall if opponents collect 540,208 signatures. The lieutenant governor has so far avoided most of the political attacks levied against the governor.
The DPW complaint alleges a recent video on Kleefisch’s YouTube campaign channel “deliberately misleads” viewers into believing it is an executive government communication, rather than a campaign issue, because the video does not include a disclaimer including the committee name.
The ad, which aired Tuesday, urged viewers to consider “the value of a signature” in terms of the taxpayer dollars a statewide recall could cost, warning that “signing a recall petition is like saying you’re okay with spending more months, more millions on political campaign ads.”
Instead of declaring it is “Paid for by” Kleefisch’s recall campaign, the video uses the words “Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch Forward.”
The complaint also cites statutes on using a public position for personal gain or advantage, rules the DPW said the video violates if it is, in fact, an executive communication.
