Factcheck.org: Nothing 'strictly false' in DeLay ad [... but TV stations pull it due to Republican pressure ...]

Chron.com | Group: Nothing 'strictly false' in DeLay ad: "Jan. 14, 2006, 5:04PM | Watchdog group | By SAMANTHA LEVINE | Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

Review cites some ambiguities in spot rejected by TV stations

WASHINGTON - A nonpartisan organization that reviews political ads for accuracy said Friday that a controversial commercial rejected by Houston TV stations after being labeled false by Rep. Tom DeLay's campaign is vaguely worded but contains nothing definitively false."

"We find that DeLay's lawyer mischaracterized what the ad said, and that the ad contains nothing that is strictly false," said Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. "The worst we can say of the ad is that its ambiguous wording" could mislead viewers about the details of DeLay's interactions with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is cooperating with a federal investigation of lawmakers and their aides.

The review came after a lawyer for DeLay's re-election campaign, Don McGahn, this week contacted four Houston television stations that had sold airtime for the ad. McGahn called the spot "reckless, malicious and false" and hinted that the stations could face legal trouble if they ran it. They didn't. ...