A pro-amnesty group led by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has removed Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) photograph and likeness from their website after an attorney for Paul demanded it do so.
“Senator Paul has no association with the Partnership for a New American Economy and the group should not be using his picture in web ads to imply otherwise,” Brian Darling, one of Paul’s attorneys, told Breitbart News.
Paul’s photograph was used by the group to imply he stands with them on immigration. He’s among a group of Republicans that the Bloomberg group, “Partnership for a New American Economy,” has been touting to push its cause of amnesty.
The section of the website from the group titled “Immigration: Conservative And Economic Solutions To Act Now” touts Washington Times columns that have been reprinted by many of those on the site. Paul’s column, which was originally published on April 25, 2013 and reprinted last week, is titled “Why I’m Committed To Immigration Reform.” In it, he pushed his “Trust But Verify” plan–which is far from the Gang of Eight bill produced at that time, and considers the nature of “immigration reform” much differently than those on the left and in the establishment GOP. Paul specifically wrote that “no other reform can go forward” until the border is completely secured. He also calls to the American people from voter fraud as a result of immigration legislation, and from financial damage–something he bills as “protecting the vote” and “protecting the dollar.”
Paul has frequently been one of the first senators to stand up and criticize the president and his own Republican Party when he believes either or both is wrong on immigration, hitting Obama for causing the border crisis and calling on Republicans to block the funding for Obama’s executive amnesty, rather than allowing them to aid his implementation of the executive order through the appropriations process as House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), Paul’s Kentucky colleague, wants to do.
Other Republicans that the Bloomberg group pushes on the website include New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Colorado Senator-elect Cory Gardner, Dr. Ben Carson, and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)–the incoming chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist, who testified before a Senate committee in favor of the “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill to praise from Democrats like Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and the Chamber of Commerce’s Tom Donohue are also featured on the site.
When reached by phone on Monday, a spokesman for the Partnership for a New American Economy told Breitbart News that the group will be removing Sen. Paul’s photograph from their website pursuant to the senator’s attorney’s request.
The Bloomberg group has been one of the key drivers of the push for amnesty in Congress–and by President Barack Obama via executive order. Others who join Bloomberg at the top of the group include Newscorp Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Philadelphia’s liberal mayor Michael Nutter, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, San Antonio’s liberal former mayor Julian Castro, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Marriott chairman Bill Marriott.
They’ve spent countless hours and millions of dollars lobbying Congress for amnesty over the past two years and have been one of the biggest supporters of the “Gang of Eight” Senate immigration bill. They also, when Obama announced his executive amnesty on Thursday night, issued a statement saying there is some “good news” behind it–and used the president’s announcement to push Congress for amnesty again.
“The good news is that the issue has progressed to a point where we are debating which branch of government should reform immigration first,” the group’s chairman John Feinblatt said in response to Obama’s announcement. “Executive action may alleviate some of the problems with our broken system, but only Congress can address their root causes — and create a modern immigration system that secures our borders and fosters economic growth.”
Paul voted against the Gang of Eight bill and has been one of the loudest opponents of Obama’s executive amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, frequently referencing the topic on the campaign trail for tons of Republicans over the past few months.
Spokespeople for Chaffetz and Martinez have not immediately responded to a request for comment on whether they stand with Bloomberg or with Paul. Carson and Gardner couldn’t immediately be reached.