Bryan Steil fails to follow the letter of the law in attack ad, Wisconsin Democrats call on TV Stations to take action – WisPolitics

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Today, 1st Congressional District Democratic Chair James Foss submitted a letter altering local television stations that a campaign advertisement by Bryan Steil running in southeastern Wisconsin has run afoul of federal law. Bryan Steil pretends to care about the rule of law, but this violation tells a different story. In failing to meet the standard set by the FCC, Bryan Steil has forfeited his right to a discounted rate charged to political committees and candidates and television stations airing Steil’s noncompliant ad must charge Steil the same rate as non-political advertisers.

Federal law requires that a political candidate’s image must appear at the end of an advertisement for no less than four seconds, accompanied by a clear, printed statement identifying the candidate or authorizing committee—a standard that Bryan Steil’s ad unquestionably fails to meet.

Read the letter sent to impacted TV stations HERE.

“Bryan Steil talks a big game about playing by the rules, but he seems to think those rules don’t apply to him,” said 1st Congressional District Democratic Chair James Foss. “It’s clear that Bryan Steil abandoned southeastern Wisconsin years ago, and we’re tired of paying the price. If Bryan Steil wants to play underhanded political games and run attack ads that don’t meet federal disclosure rules, television stations airing the advertisement should adhere to federal law and charge Steil’s campaign the standard rate for his advertisements.”