According to The Washington Post, ex-president Donald Trump’s lawyers allegedly sent a cease-and-desist document to Republican Arizona Senate candidate Mark Brnovich. It orders the state attorney general to refrain from using the president’s “name, image, and/or likeness” in fundraising appeals.
In early June, the former president endorsed tech executive Blake Masters however, Brnovich has continued with the use of his photographs in fundraising calls to supporters. According to Federal Election Commission records, $2.5 million was raised by Brnovich throughout his campaign, and on-hand he has more than $500,000.
According to The Washington Post, Trump’s attorney wrote to the Brnovich campaign, “Your use of President Trump’s name, image, and/or likeness is likely to deceive individuals into believing President Trump supports, endorses, or otherwise promotes your candidacy for U.S. Senate in Arizona – he does not.”
The Daily Caller asked for a response from the Brnovich campaign resulting in no immediate response on the issue.
Trump has criticized Brnovich over and over again for the attorney general’s statement in the aftermath of the 2020 election that he saw “no evidence, there are no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change.” In his endorsement of Masters, Donald Trump called Brnovich a “disappointment,” and that Brnovich “understands what took place in the 2020 Presidential Election, and that it was Rigged and Stolen.”
Because many Republican fundraisers use Trump’s image and quotes in their fundraising efforts, the former president has moved to restrict the usage of his image. The Republican National Committee received a cease-and-desist letter from Trump in March 2021, saying that the group did not have the right to use his image, his name, and likeness for fundraising purposes. The RNC refused to cease, citing an attorney who stated that the president is a public figure and that the organization may “refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech.”
In related news, in the fourth quarter of 2021 for his upcoming senate primary, Republican Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters raised $1.38 million, aided by sales of NFTs.
Masters mentioned, “My campaign is generating a lot of excitement. We are pulling in new supporters and new sources of funding. This is going to be one of the most expensive races in the country, and Republicans can’t afford to put forward someone who refuses to do the work.”
Masters stated that his campaign will be part-financed by the sale of the NFTs. A signed copy of “Zero to One,” a book he co-authored with internet mogul Peter Thiel, was included among the non-fungible tokens, as well as the book’s digital cover art.
All of the nonfungible tokens have been sold within 36 hours from the moment they have been released amassing for the campaign over $550,000, Masters’ campaign announced.
