Former Trump Adviser Admonishes Ramaswamy for Attack Ad on Democratic Opponent: ‘Disavow It’

CNN commentator David Urban, a former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump, admonished Vivek Ramaswamy for an attack ad against his Democratic opponent featuring the candidate’s estranged mother.

Ramaswamy is facing Amy Acton in next month’s Ohio gubernatorial election.

The attack ad, which Ramaswamy’s campaign admitted to producing after Urban’s comments, features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who, in the spot, calls her daughter a “liar” and urges Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton has previously spoken of her unstable childhood, which included alleged sexual abuse from her stepfather when she was between the ages of nine and 12. The man was criminally charged and skipped town with Arthur while he was out on bail. Ultimately, Acton’s biological father was granted custody of her and her brother. The candidate has not spoken with her mother since.

“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign said.

Acton’s brother, who also said he was abused by the stepfather, called the campaign’s embrace of the ad a “disgusting attack.”

On Tuesday’s edition of The Lead, Jake Tapper asked Urban for his reaction.

“You know, Jake, if anything, it makes Amy Acton a more sympathetic candidate, because you feel for her for what she had to endure as a young child,” Urban replied. “So, I’m not sure who was testing it in what polling situation, or who put it out. But if I was the Republican candidate here, Vivek Ramaswamy running, I would run away from that ad.”

Urban went on to add, “This kind of goes hand in glove with all the Epstein stuff that… It’s just not a good look. And so come out, disavow it, move on.”

Later in the segment, Tapper concluded about Ramaswamy, “Well, whether or not he wins, this is gonna be a section of his obituary, whenever that may be. This is the kind of thing that just leaves a stain on somebody’s record.”

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!