Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s (D-Ill.) campaign released a new ad on Monday blasting her opponent, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), saying he lied and attacked the congresswoman with “desperate and false ads.”
The ad, titled “Repeatedly,” highlights Duckworth’s military career and the fact that she lost both of legs while serving as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot during the Iraq War. The ad accuses Kirk for lying about his own military service.
{mosads}”Now Mark Kirk, who lied repeatedly about serving in combat, is attacking Tammy with desperate and false ads,” the narrator says.
In 2010, Kirk apologized for misstatements about his service in the Navy Reserves. Among his claims are that he had served in the Gulf War, which he later corrected to say he had served “during” the Gulf War; that he had been awarded “intelligence officer of the year,” when he had not; and that he had come under fire while flying in Iraq, a claim for which there was no record.
At the time, according to the Los Angeles Times, he acknowledged, “I have made mistakes concerning certain aspects of my accomplishments and experiences, and I apologize for those mistakes and I pledge to correct those errors. I am not perfect and was careless. I will do better and I will make sure this never happens again.”
Duckworth is locked in a tight battle with Kirk in one of the most competitive Senate races of this cycle. President Obama won the Democratic-leaning state in both 2008 and 2012.
“Republican Mark Kirk’s new ad isn’t just dishonest, it’s shameful — but what else would you expect from someone who has lied about his military record at least 10 times, including falsely claiming to have been in combat,” Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath said.
“Unlike Kirk, Tammy can point to real results at the state and federal level helping our Veterans get jobs, reducing Veterans’ homelessness, increasing awareness and screening for PTSD, and addressing the scourge of Veterans’ suicide — among other things,” he said.
Kirk’s campaign launched its own TV ad on Sunday that highlights the lawsuit against Duckworth alleging workplace retaliation. The 30-second spot accused her of trying to “silence whistleblowers.”
“Now Duckworth’s going to court because she put her political career ahead of our veterans’ care,” the ad’s narrator says. “Tammy Duckworth — everything that’s wrong with Washington.”
The back-and-forth ads come after an Illinois judge set a tentative trial date in August for Duckworth’s case.
In 2009, two former employees working under Duckworth when she led the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs filed a lawsuit against her. One employee alleged that she was fired after filing complaints against her boss, but her termination was later reversed after meeting with Duckworth.
The other employee claims she received a bad performance review and no raise after complaining about the same boss. She claims Duckworth told her to “do your job and keep your mouth shut” to keep her job.
Duckworth has previously denied that the employees were treated unfairly.