The National Rifle Association’s political action committee launched its first television ad of the presidential election cycle Wednesday — an ad that features Mark “Oz” Geist, a security contractor who was in Benghazi, Libya, the night of the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack.
“A lot of people say they’re not gonna vote this November because their candidate didn’t win. Well, I know some other people who won’t be voting this year either,” Mr. Geist says in the 30-second ad.
“Hillary as president? No thanks,” he says. “I served in Benghazi. My friends didn’t make it. They did their part. Do yours.”
Words onscreen toward the end of the ad read: “Stop. Hillary. Now.”
The ad, part of a $2 million buy, will run nationally on cable and local broadcast stations in states including Colorado, Ohio, Nevada, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maine.
“We cannot trust Hillary Clinton with our gun rights or our national security,” said Chris Cox, who chairs the NRA’s Political Victory Fund, the group’s PAC. “The stakes in this election for law-abiding gun owners have never been higher, and the NRA will use all available resources to ensure that voters understand the consequences of a Hillary Clinton presidency on their fundamental right of self-defense.
“By saying that the Supreme Court got it wrong in the historic Heller decision, Hillary made it clear that she does not believe Americans have the right to keep a gun in their home to protect themselves,” Mr. Cox said.
The ad comes on the heels of the Tuesday release of a report from the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack that claimed the lives of four Americans.
The report details evidence about the decisions behind establishing the diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, ignoring security warnings and failing to send aid during the attack.
Mrs. Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time of the attack, said on the campaign trail Tuesday the report found nothing to contradict conclusions from earlier investigations into the attack.
The NRA endorsed presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump at the group’s convention in Louisville in May.
The Trump campaign announced the endorsement of Mr. Geist in February.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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