The Republican National Committee has told Orange County political consultant Scott Hart to stop using its trademarked elephant symbol on a slate mailer, calling it "disgraceful" since the mailer advocates ballot measure positions that the party doesn't support.
"I'll probably remove it," Hart said Wednesday after receiving the harshly worded letter from John R. Phillippe Jr., the RNC's chief counsel. "I'm a good Republican."
"Your use of a near-exact replica of the official elephant logo of the RNC is an egregious attempt to deceive the recipients of your mailer of its true sponsorship while at the same time allowing you to feign innocence for trademark infringement," Phillippe told Hart.
He continued: "The bad faith of your mailer is evident on many levels; first in your false implication of RNC sponsorship, and again in your disgraceful 'recommendation' to vote opposite the Republican position on every ballot proposition."
Hart said he was surprised at the reaction since he and other Republican operatives had often used the elephant logo in the past. "I don't know why people are all worked up about this," he said.
Hart has managed a number of local, legislative and congressional campaigns for Republican candidates and also lobbies for corporate clients, He calls his slate mailer "Continuing the Republican Revolution," and his website terms it "one of the oldest and most respected Republican slate mailers in California."
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.