The architect of a widely panned ad campaign in 2016 pushing nude photographs of now First Lady Melania Trump has sprung to the defense of a bill backed by Amazon that would nationalize control of the music industry in Washington.
Liz Mair, the failed Never Trump strategist behind the nude Melania Trump ads in Utah in 2016, sent an email around Washington, D.C., late Monday backing the Music Modernization Act (MMA)–which is supported in large part by Amazon. Mair’s email to official Washington was headlined “Boyle screws up again” and attacks this reporter for exposing the “collective” run by the government contained with the MMA that would centralize control over music industry payments in the U.S. Copyright Office as part of a federal government takeover of the music industry.
“Pardon me for intruding on your evening with that subject line, but we have some clients in the country music industry who, along with their congressional allies, are just a tad peeved about Matt ‘Marcophones Expose’ Boyle’s latest fuckup, and wanted me to email you about this,” Mair emailed to her list.
She was referencing a separate expose from Breitbart News about the text of the “Gang of Eight” amnesty plan from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and others that contained a giveaway of satellite phones to people who live in rural areas near the border. Despite Rubio’s team’s original best efforts to dismiss these reports, the legislative text did confirm its existence–and Rubio’s office also confirmed, as did the office of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), that the satellite phone handout was in the bill.
The Never Trump Mair’s obsession with a 2013 news report aside, now she is furious about Breitbart News’ expose of Amazon’s bill to nationalize the music industry.
“Apparently, it is indeed supported by Amazon, but I can tell you that in having worked on this issue for several months, this is the first I’ve heard of Amazon being at all interested in this legislation,” Mair wrote. “Who is interested in it? Musicians, authors, and basically everyone else who creates things and derives money from fairly strong protection of intellectual property rights— which by the way, means everyone on this email should support it, because even if it’s music-focused, it impacts the strength of copyright which impacts your ability to get paid.”
Mair cited this tweet from bill sponsor Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who pushed back on the Breitbart News expose on the Amazon bill on Monday morning:
Hatch’s tweet thread continued by stating that this is “not an Amazon bill”:
While Hatch argues the MMA is not an “Amazon bill,” a document published by House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and included in Breitbart News’ original story lists Amazon not just once but twice as a supporter of the legislation. It also lists the Digital Media Association (DiMA), which includes Amazon, Google, YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, and others among its clients.
“The president was irate when he heard about this,” a source close to the president told Breitbart News for the original story. “He’s calling it ‘The Amazon Bill.’ There is no chance he will sign that bill that passed the House.”
Mair’s Monday evening email in favor of the MMA also notes that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was a supporter of the bill in the House, and argues that “Boyle wants to try to undercut in her bid for Senate in Tennessee or something by attacking something that’s a signature Blackburn priority and is probably one of her best hopes of getting crossover votes in what is a tougher-than-expected race.”
Nothing could be further from the truth as Blackburn has done more interviews with Breitbart News, specifically with this reporter multiple times, than almost any other media outlet this year. Blackburn has also regularly written op-eds for Breitbart News.
But, now that Mair has decided to throw herself in the ring publicly in favor of this bill, it brings out even more anti-Trump forces behind the legislation. Back in 2016 in Utah, Mair led a Never Trump PAC called “Make America Awesome.” That PAC ran a series of ads in 2016 in Utah designed to get voters to back anyone but Trump. They included one online ad that had a nude photograph of Donald Trump’s wife Melania Trump, a photograph that came from a shoot Melania Trump did for British GQ back in 2000.
The ad superimposed over the nude photograph of Melania Trump the text: “Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, You Could Support Ted Cruz on Tuesday.”
The ad campaign was widely panned as “slut-shaming” by the establishment media, including leftist outlet Vox.
Trump himself attacked Cruz for the ads, even though it was not Cruz behind them per se but it was Mair and her Never Trump PAC “Make America Awesome” that paid for the ads:
In response to the widespread criticism over the ads, the Never Trumper Mair lost it on Twitter accusing “Trumpkins” of harassing her over the Melania Trump photos and threatening to go to the police:
Later, in a CNN appearance, Mair said people could “blame” her for the ad but argued that it “worked” because Trump would not become president.
“People can blame me if they don’t like the ad,” Mair told CNN’s Don Lemon. “The fact is, the ad worked. The ad did exactly what we intended it to do and it’s done far more than that. The reality is that part of the reason that Donald Trump is tanking right now is because he’s bothered spending a week and a half getting pissed off and acting like a toddler having a major meltdown over this ad.”
Mair’s decision to go Never Trump came after she was terminated by the presidential campaign of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for mocking Iowa voters and pushing amnesty for illegal aliens back in 2013. After a Breitbart News piece on Mair’s tenuous history of mocking Iowans and pushing the Gang of Eight amnesty, she resigned from Walker’s campaign.
It is very likely that when the President finds out that Mair and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos are both behind this MMA legislation that he will be very upset, a source close to the First Family told Breitbart News late Monday evening–and that he will be particularly upset with Sen. Hatch.
“It’s disappointing to see Senator Hatch throw in with some of the most vicious anti-Trump interests and business executives around,” a source close to the first family told Breitbart News. “This is an open insult to both POTUS and FLOTUS.”
In response to that quote, Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock did not address Mair’s backing of the bill in a statement to Breitbart News.
“Senator Hatch has worked on developing this bill directly with songwriters for several years,” Whitlock said in an email on Tuesday morning. “It’s a good bill, critical to the livelihood of thousands of Americans, with a wide range of support. That support now includes 40 Senators and 415 members of the House of Representatives, many of whom the President trusts and knows quite well.”