New Pallotta video attacks Gottheimer over time at controversial public relations firm

Republican House candidate Frank Pallotta released a new video attacking Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) over his time at a sometimes-controversial public relations firm.

The 60-second spot, titled “Burson Marstellar,” attacks Gottheimer over some of the public relations firm’s past clients while attempting to head off the congressman’s attacks over Pallota’s refusal to condemn the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia group deemed a moderate domestic terror threat by the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security.

Script:

NARRATOR: Instead of calling his constituents names like racist and domestic terrorist, Josh Gottheimer should explain what he did as executive vice president at an unsavory corporation known as Burson Marsteller

RACHEL MADDOW: Who’s Burson Marsteller? Well, let me put it this way: When Blackwater killed those 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, they called Burson Marsteller. When there was a nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, Babcock and Wilcox, who built that plant, called Burson Marsteller. The Bhopal chemical disaster that killed thousands of people in India, Union Carbide called Burson Marsteller. Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, Burson Marsteller. The government of Saudi Arabia three days after 9/11, Burson Marsteller.

NARRATOR: Well, you get it. It was so bad even Rachel Maddow said, “When evil needs public relations, evil has Burson Marsteller on speed dial.” Who’s the real domestic terrorist?

Gottheimer was the group’s executive vice president between 2006 and 2010, meaning he joined the organization years, or even decades, after most of the incidents listed in the 60-second video. The Bhopal and Three Mile Island incidents happened in the 1970s and 1980s, the same decade Ceaușescu died.

After Blackwater debacle happened in 2007, Gottheimer fired the client and the relationship between the two companies ended.

It’s not clear where the video will run. Pallotta’s campaign hasn’t filed any political filings with the Federal Communications Commission — such filings are required for political TV ads — and Facebook has started its pre-election political ad blackout period.