Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore is complaining about an ad in which Sen. Lindsey Graham says he’s the “only veteran” running for the White House in 2016 who wasn’t allowed to debate Tuesday night.
Gilmore, an Army veteran who served as an intelligence agent in Europe, was drawing attention to an ad released by Security is Strength — a super PAC supporting Graham. It aired immediately following the Republican presidential debate hosted by the Fox Business Network Tuesday evening, which both candidates missed because of their low poll numbers.
Recommended Stories
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2575923
“One of the things all veterans feel strongly about is someone who misstates his or her experiences,” Gilmore said in a press release. “That is why I was surprised to see Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the other candidates for president, has a super PAC that is running national television ads claiming he is the ‘only veteran’ in the presidential race. That’s obviously not true.”
In a recent interview with the Washington Examiner, Gilmore had no reservations saying that he was one of two veterans remaining in the presidential race.
“I’m one of the two veterans in the race … I have empathy and understanding of veterans that I think other candidates — there’s no reason for them to have it. I have actual experience,” he told the Examiner. “And from a managerial standpoint, we have to get things done. We have to understand that we have to make it a priority.”
In the press release, Gilmore said that while he respects Graham’s service, he suggested that they both honor each other’s commitment to their country.
“I would ask the senator to make sure that his campaign and his Super PAC treat veterans with the same respect that they expect from others,” Gilmore added.
The ad from Security is Strength, released a few days before the debate, touts Graham’s national security expertise and laments his absence from Tuesday’s debate. It was not authorized by Graham or the candidate’s committee.
“On the eve of Veterans Day, Republicans gather to debate the important issues facing our great nation,” says the narrator. “Yet, the only veteran in the field has been silenced: Sen. Lindsey Graham.”
The narrator goes on to say Graham is a retired Air Force colonel, as text on the screen says he has over 30 years of military service. Graham did reach the rank of colonel, but it was with the Air Force reserve.
