Ex-senator uses ‘American Hustle’ connection in Oscar ad

Former Republican Sen. Larry Pressler (S.D.) is using an unusual Hollywood connection in his bid to return to the Senate as an independent.

{mosads}”American Hustle shows the FBI making real-life bribes to Washington politicians. I know, because as your U.S. senator I turned them down,” Pressler says in a new ad he’ll air during the Academy Awards this Sunday.

The ad shows the hidden-camera FBI footage of him turning down the bribe, saying “it would not be proper for me to promise to do anything in return for campaign contributions.”

Pressler was the only lawmaker who turned down bribes in the Abscam corruption scandal re-popularized in the movie, which is up for a number of Oscars.

“This is the type of honest leadership I will bring to Washington, D.C. — one term as a South Dakota independent free to fight to protect South Dakota families,” Pressler concludes.

The former senator is running a long-shot bid for his old job. Former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) is the prohibitive favorite for both the GOP nomination and in the general election while Pressler has struggled to raise money for the race.