The campaign team of Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers sent dozens of cease-and-desist letters to TV stations regarding an ad from Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
The letter written by campaign lawyers William J. McGinley and Michael Bayes states that Slotkin, the Democratic nominee for Senate, pushed two false narratives about the former congressman.
The ad first accuses Rogers of carpetbagging, stating that at the end of his term in Congress in 2015, Rogers “left office and left Michigan for good.” Rogers did purchase a home in Florida, but he has since returned to Michigan and is registered to vote in the state.
“Mike Rogers is a taxpaying resident of the State of Michigan, and he is registered to vote in White Lake Charter Township in Oakland County,” the letter states.
However, Slotkin’s campaign spokesman, Antoine Givens, said Rogers’s home that he purchased in White Lake was demolished and that he never lived in it.
Slotkin’s ad also accuses Rogers of “helping Chinese tech companies.” The video includes the names of Chinese tech companies ZTE and Huawei and a Business Insider article headline on screen. Slotkin’s ad claims Rogers “made millions” helping Chinese tech companies” and gave “them access to the U.S.”
“These claims are also false. Mike Rogers has never worked for any Chinese tech companies, including ZTE and Huawei,” the letter states.
The Business Insider article does not mention anything about Rogers working with these Chinese tech companies.
“In fact, the Business Insider article reports that Rogers got involved in cybersecurity firms after his time in Congress because he realized ‘we were going to need the private sector to help push back on both international criminal gangs’ as well as Russia and China,” the letter states.
Rogers founded 5G Action Now, which is focused on “opposing Chinese companies’ efforts to have a role in U.S. 5G networks and supporting efforts to remove Chinese hardware from U.S. infrastructure.”
The letter states the news station is not mandated to provide Slotkin “absolute and unfettered access” so “she can sponsor ads containing false statements about her opponent.”
Rogers’s campaign spokesman, Chris Gustafson, told the Washington Examiner it is clear that Slotkin will say anything, even lies, to get elected.
“When Slotkin moved to Michigan to run for Congress, she couldn’t stop raving about Mike Rogers’s record of delivering for Michiganders,” Gustafson said. “But rather than defend her own record of high grocery prices, a dangerous open border, and votes to ban gas cars, she’s decided to spread lies and falsehoods about Mike Rogers to Michiganders.”
But Givens repeated the accusations that Rogers was connected to China, citing an article published by American Journal News.
“Mike Rogers is desperate to cover up his record of enriching himself while Michigan families pay the price. But facts are facts: Rogers left Congress, increased his net worth by 2000 percent, and moved to a waterfront mansion in Florida,” Givens said. “He walked through the revolving door to make millions from corporate gigs — including his work for companies with ties to China and Saudi Arabia.”
Slotkin and Rogers won their parties’ nomination on Tuesday and are vying for the open Senate seat in Michigan.
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The Real Clear Politics polling average as of Thursday shows Slotkin leading Rogers by 46.5% to 40.7%.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Slotkin’s campaign for comment.
