State Democrats were back out Friday with another ad accusing Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp’s state office of ignoring sex assault claims against massage clinics.
The plot
Friday’s ad is similar to one released Wednesday on the topic, although it suggests a link between the state’s inaction on the sex abuse complaints and a former massage parlor owner who has been a “major” contributor to Kemp’s campaign.
Georgia massage parlors are licensed by a state board that administratively falls under Kemp’s purview as secretary of state.
The context
Both of this week’s ads were paid for by the Democratic Party of Georgia and authorized by Stacey Abrams, a former minority leader in the Georgia House and Kemp’s Democratic opponent in the November general election. They are similar to ones run against Kemp during the GOP primary.
The response
Kemp has repeatedly said that he has no control over state licenses of massage therapists. That, Kemp has said, is left to a state board appointed by the governor.
The newest ad says 96 percent of claims of sexual assault at a massage clinic have been “ignored by Kemp’s office.”
“And those are just the ones we know about,” the ad states.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in July that chiropractor Patrick Greco, a Massage Envy clinic owner, donated $1,000 to Kemp. The newspaper also reported that Greco and his partner hosted a fundraising gala for the GOP candidate in April.
On Friday, Massage Envy Franchising, LLC issued a statement, saying Greco no longer owns Massage Envy franchises and did not own any at the time he held the fundraiser for Kemp.
Friday’s Democratic Party ad ends with a picture of Kemp and the narrator saying: “Raking in donations. Neglecting victims. Good for Brian Kemp. Dangerous for Georgia.
View the ad
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