BLACKLISTED: Only the right sorts of people are asked to French Hills news conference. Soiree

The Arkansas Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint Friday against a PAC involved in peddling racially charged slime supporting U.S. Rep. French Hill in his successful re-election campaign against challenger Clarke Tucker.

Vernon Robinson, a North Carolina crackpot, was behind the Black Americans for the President’s Agenda PAC, which pushed the controversial radio ad targeted at black audiences during the campaign, a cartoonish bit of sleaze that you can listen to below. Robinson is black; the money funding the effort appeared to come from wealthy white conservatives, such as an owner of the San Francisco Giants (the Giants quickly put out a statement distancing themselves from the ad).

Advertisement

Hill condemned the ad, which he deemed “outrageous”: “There’s no place in Arkansas for this nonsense.”

An official from the Republican Party of Arkansas then filed an Ethics complaint, which argued that the PAC failed to properly register and report its financial information in the state.

Advertisement

On Friday, the Ethics Commission found that because the ads were for a federal race, Robinson’s PAC did not have to register in the state as an independent expenditure committee, the Democrat-Gazette reports. Something to file away for the next cycle of congressional elections in the state, as the dark money floods the airwaves.

And keep in mind: Even if the Commission issues a slap on the wrist against a PAC after a campaign is over (which almost never happens), the damage has long since been done. Robinson kept his ad on the air despite all of the condemnations and the filing of the Ethics complaint. The maximum penalty for this complaint was a fine of up to $2,000. I have the nauseating feeling that we’ll be hearing from Robinson again.

Advertisement

During the campaign, Democratic Chair Michael John Gray credited Republicans for condemning this particular ad, but zoomed out to the larger issue:

However, this ad isn’t a one-off. It follows racist political mailers from Senator Tom Cotton’s Super PAC and numerous intellectually dishonest messages from the other side in campaigns across the state. Arkansans deserve better. Leaders of political parties should campaign on ideas, solutions, and priorities, and not promote stereotypes and misinformation. Leadership should be about leading, not about winning at any cost.”

And here’s a portion of Gray’s strong original statement on the ad, prior to the response from Hill and Republicans, which called it “overtly racist, dangerous, and immoral”:

Advertisement

This pro-French Hill radio ad is racist. It demeans the pain and experience of African Americans and exploits for political gain centuries of segregation and racial violence, including lynching.

Here’s the ad:

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Demagogue in chief: The morning after border unrest, Trump fans the flames Next article Everything you need to know about American health care politics