Trump campaign calls on Freedom Caucus chairman to stop using his name and likeness for re-election

Rep. Bob Good, Republican of Virginia, received a cease-and-desist letter Friday via certified mail from former President Donald Trump’s lawyers to stop use of the presumptive Republican nominee’s name or likeness as the leader of the Freedom Caucus seeks re-election. in the House of Representatives.

Good, who represents the state’s 5th Congressional District, a predominantly rural Republican stronghold that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, is being challenged by state Sen. John McGuire, who received Trump’s endorsement Tuesday , in an apparent snub to outgoing President Good.

“We have noticed that your campaign has been producing signs purporting to indicate President Trump’s support for your candidacy,” David Warrington, Trump’s lawyer, wrote to Good’s campaign. “You know that’s not true. In fact, President Trump endorsed your opponent, John McGuire. »

Trump Ceases and Absents by newsmaven on Scribd

Good is one of at least 20 Republican federal lawmakers who recently traveled to New York to support Trump during his secret six-week trial. McGuire also made a low-key visit to the Lower Manhattan courthouse on the same day as Good. Both campaigns confirmed that Virginia candidates traveled to the courthouse in the same motorcade as the former president. Trump was convicted of all 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30.

“A breach of voters’ trust”

“To be clear, neither you nor your campaign are authorized to use President Trump’s name or that of the campaign to falsely imply support for your candidacy. Nor are you or your campaign permitted to claim that you represent or are otherwise associated with President Trump or the campaign,” Warrington wrote in his letter to Good.

Warrington noted that producing and displaying campaign materials with Trump’s name or image associated with Good’s constituted “fraud on the voters of Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District.” He also noted that using Trump’s name or likeness on any of Good’s fundraising materials constitutes fraud on campaign donors.

“Making such false statements constitutes a breach of voter trust,” Warrington wrote.

Good’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment, and Trump’s image appears to have been removed from the congressman’s campaign site as of Friday evening.

New election law shakes up Fifth District primaries

Good faced a primary challenger in his last federal election, but this year the competition will be different because of a new state law that took effect in January.

This law had an unintended consequence: it virtually banned conventions in any election, including party primaries, in Virginia.

Good, elected to federal office in 2020, won his previous primaries through conventions on what critics called “his turf” in a district that stretches nearly 200 miles from top to bottom. In both races, he received fewer than 2,000 votes at those conventions in a district with about 562,925 active voters, according to data from the Virginia Board of Elections.

“He actually campaigned and legislated for these 2,000 people. I think he hasn’t represented the voices of everyone in his district, and I think that’s a real vulnerability,” John McGuire said in a recent interview with USA TODAY.

In the solidly Republican Fifth District, the winner of the Republican primary is expected to win the congressional seat.

Both Republican primary candidates echoed Trump’s rhetoric about the validity of the 2020 election results. Many of those narratives turned out to be false.

McGuire attended the Stop the Steal rally on January 6, 2021, but said he did not enter the Capitol building. Good voted against certifying the 2020 election and said he supported the move in a recent interview. Both continue to cast doubt on the 2020 election results.

Neither committed to accepting the results of the 2024 election in recent interviews with USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Trump warns Rep. Bob Good to stop using his name and likeness.