October 18, 2018 

LAWT News Service 

 

This week, California Dem­ocratic Party Women’s Caucus Chair Christine Pelosi and Southern Chair Carolyn Fowler criticized Marshall Tuck campaign supporters for false and outrageous attack ads they are running against Assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

 

“Marshall Tuck’s supporters are trying to win his race by running despicable ads regarding past sexual harassment of students in West Contra Costa Unified School District - exploiting victims and the #MeToo movement to lie about his opponent,” said Pelosi and Fowler. “Their attempts to weaponize trauma is sickening, and doubling down with a deceptive character assassination of Tony Thurmond is gross and insulting to all survivors. Marshall Tuck needs to call for these ads to be taken down immediately.”

 

They continued:

 

“As mothers of daughters, we don’t want a person willing to weaponize children’s trauma for personal gain to make decisions about our children’s education and well being. The bottom line is, Marshall Tuck has repeatedly fed this baseless narrative, while laying the foundation for his supporters to use. What’s even more shameful is that Tuck has been called out for weaponizing students’ pain before and has done nothing to change his campaign’s tactics.

 

“Tony Thurmond acted to help kids in one of the most challenged school districts in the state, as he has done his entire career serving at-risk kids. To punish him by weaponizing someone else’s trauma and degrading students in that district for political gain is not only reprehensible, it’s an attack on vulnerable children and entire communities.  

 

Let’s be very clear: Tuck delivered this false attack to his supporters, now it’s time for him to accept responsibility, and ask his supporters to take down the ads.

 

“We extend our sympathies to the students and families whose trauma Tuck’s supporters have exploited. The decision to share a #MeToo story should always rest with the victim alone and should not be politicized without the consent of the victims. We are outraged that Marshall Tuck and his wealthy group of “students, parents, and teachers” would be exploiting students’ pain for his political gain.

 

Last night, Pelosi tweeted:

 

“Really sickening and deceptive character assassination by @MarshallTuck exploiting the #MeToo movement to LIE about @TonyThurmond. Obama admin admonishing a school district is NOT them admonishing Thurmond. That’s just gross and insulting to ALL survivors. Take this BS off my TV!”

Category: News