Self-appointed "law and order" candidate Donald Trump reportedly didn't get the permission of Phoenix law enforcement officers before featuring them in one of his campaign ads. On Thursday, city officials in Phoenix, Arizona, sent the Republican candidate a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he pull his ad, entitled "Movement", because he failed to get police officers' consent before featuring them in the video. The ad shows Phoenix officers shaking hands with Trump, while the word "together" appears on the screen:
Phoenix City Attorney Brad Holm wrote in the letter that the uniformed officers shown "were unaware that they were photographed and videotaped, and they did not consent to the use of their on-duty images in any Trump (or other) campaign advertisement." Moreover, Holm said the officers' appearance suggests they support Trump, which "is not the case." Per the federal Hatch Act of 1939, individual law enforcement officers "are not permitted to appear in campaign literature or ads," Talking Points Memo reported.
NBC was unable to immediately reach the Trump campaign for a comment; Trump's Arizona state director declined The Arizona Republic's request for a comment.
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