LANSING — Two-time statewide loser John James, who has compared abortion to “genocide” and said that he is “100% pro-life,” was so eager to roll out an endorsement from the extreme, anti-choice group Right to Life Michigan that his campaign sent out a press release with a fake quote from the group’s leader, according to new reporting from Gongwer News Service.
On Friday, Right to Life Michigan endorsed the four Republican candidates for governor. Minutes later, the James campaign sent out a press release with a quote from Amber Roseboom, President of Right to Life Michigan, trumpeting James’ anti-choice record. However, later that day, Right to Life Michigan reached out to Gongwer News Service and asked for the quote to be removed from their story, with a spokesperson writing, “We have not seen this and while we stand with all our candidates, we have not offered comment.”
SEE THE FAKE QUOTE IN THE JAMES RELEASE HERE
The James campaign pointed to a letter it received from the group—but Gongwer reports that the letter did not include the quote from Rosenboom.
James supported Roe v. Wade being overturned and has received an A+ rating in Congress from SBA Pro-Life America. In November, James attended a Right to Life of Michigan dinner. The fake quote scandal comes as James faces an increasingly competitive primary and is sinking in straw polls.
“John James was so eager to trumpet an endorsement from an extreme, anti-choice group that his campaign even faked a quote and got caught doing it,” said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “Throughout his career, James has supported rolling back reproductive rights and compared abortion to ‘genocide.’ It’s clear that John James is too extreme for Michigan.”
Read more below.
Gongwer News Service: James’ camp sent a Right to Life endorsement release with a quote the organization didn’t provide
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