WASHINGTON _ A Michigan attorney general candidate is making Rep. Joe Barton's private parts a part of her 2018 campaign.
Without mentioning the Texas Republican's name, Democratic candidate Dana Nessel says in a campaign ad that in "choosing Michigan's next attorney general," voters should ask, "Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting?"
Nessel says that if successful next fall, she pledges not to "sexually harass my staff" or "walk around in a half-open bathrobe," and "take all sex crimes seriously."
Over the image of Barton, Nessel says she won't use "your hard-earned tax dollars to silence victims."
The video shows Barton's image from a Washington Post story, which says Barton threatened to report a woman to Capitol Police if she exposed his sex life.
Barton announced Thursday that he would not seek re-election. The decision came after local GOP leaders, including state Sen. Konni Burton, encouraged him to forgo his bid for an 18th term.
In the ad, Nessel pledges to fight workplace harassment and take sex crimes seriously.
Over a string of images of men accused of sexual misconduct, she says "the last few weeks have taught us" that more women are needed "in positions of power."
Barton is shown along with Alabama Republican Senate hopeful Roy Moore, who has been accused of making sexual advances toward teenage girls decades ago when he was in his 30s. The ad also includes television host Charlie Rose, ousted from his CBS News job because of sexual harassment allegations, and President Donald Trump, who also has been accused of misbehavior.
The ad by Nessel does not include any of the Democrats who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks, but makes a veiled reference to Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday called on Conyers to resign after he was accused of sexual harassment last week.
Barton last week apologized for sending a sexually explicit video to a woman he was seeing, which was later shared on Twitter by an anonymous user. Barton has said he may be the victim of "revenge porn," since the video was not intended to be shared publicly.
Another woman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Wednesday that Barton sent her sexually suggestive messages on Facebook, after she'd engaged in political discussions as a constituent.
