Democrat's ad compares Pres. Trump to Osama bin Laden - White House still waiting for an apology

Dan Helmer is running for Congress on the crowded Democratic ticket against incumbent Barbara Comstock (R), in Virginia's 10th District. His campaign ads have drawn plenty of attention — but not in a good way.

As an Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar, and attention-grabber, his campaign has certainly raised some eyebrows.

He compared Trump to bin Laden?

In his latest campaign ad, entitled "Different," Helmer says, "After 9/11, the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave. Today, he lives in the White House."

White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said of the ad on Thursday that it was "nothing short of reprehensible," adding that "leaders from across the political spectrum — starting with Leader Pelosi — must swiftly condemn this abhorrent message."

Nancy Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill responded in a statement: "While the leader does not condone the end of this ad, if the president wants to join in raising the level of civility in politics, he should begin with himself."

Helmer's campaign also defended the ad, saying, "What is abhorrent is the way this President has failed to uphold his office, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Rather vague.

In the "Different" ad, Helmer promotes a Medicare-for-all option, and maintains that he's ready to take on the gun lobby.



He's 'different,' alright...

The message hitting out against President Trump isn't the only ad Helmer's drawn attention for. His campaign put out an clip last year called "Helmer Zone" that even drew scrutiny from the left by the likes of Stephen Colbert, whose show called it "The Worst Campaign Ad of the 2018 Mid-Terms."

Check out this gem:



In its review of "Helmer Zone," leftist YouTube channel Secular Talk labeled it as an "unfathomably sad campaign ad," with the host expressing in his review: "After watching that, I want to vote Republican."

So, he's a veteran against the 2nd Amendment?

On Helmer's campaign website, he proudly displays a video in which he shows that he "bought an assault rifle at a gun show in just a few minutes without a background check less than two miles away from a public school."

He said he bought a rifle "functionally similar to what he carried in Iraq and Afghanistan," adding, "you know, it's an incredibly dangerous piece of weaponry that's meant for war."

Helmer says such "weapons of war don't belong on American streets."