Ron Paul Comments on Supporter's 'Silly' Sex Ad Attack on Rick Perry
Congressman Ron Paul has questioned a Fox News host for asking about a "silly" ad placed by one of his supporters seeking to dig up dirt on Texas Gov. Rick Perry's sex life. Perry's campaign, however, might not find the sex ad so silly.
Paul, a contender in the 2012 presidential race, appeared on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" on Aug. 19 and was asked by host Martha MacCallum to comment on Robert Morrow, an Austin resident who placed an ad seeking information on Perry's relationships with women.
Morrow, a supporter of Paul's, claims Perry is a "family values hypocrite and fraud." He has accused Republican governor of having extra-marital affairs, although there is no evidence supporting his claims.
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Morrow, a self-employed investor supported by a family inheritance, placed a full-page ad in the Austin Chronicle last week seeking to contact anyone who "ever had sex with Rick Perry."
The full ad placed in the Austin Chronicle reads:
Have you ever had sex with Rick Perry? Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a ‘young hottie’ impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas? Contact CASH and we will help you publicize your direct dealings with a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, ‘family values’ hypocrite and fraud.
"What's your response to this coming from one of your supporters," MacCallum asked Paul during Friday's program.
The Texas congressman said the issue of Morrow and the ad was news to him, but nonetheless called the whole issue "silly."
"I don't know how something like that qualifies as a question on national TV as if it's something serious," Paul said.
He added, "For me to address that would give it too much credibility and I think bringing it up gives it way much more credibility than it deserves. It's rather silly. How can this be a significant issue in a presidential race?"
Perry and his camp, however, appear to be taking the issue seriously.
“It’s political garbage from an individual who is not stable,” Perry spokesman Mark Miner told the Houston Chronicle.
Supporters of Perry's campaign provided the Houston Chronicle with a lengthy response to Morrow's "political garbage" that included information on the Austin man's activities.
The document paints Morrow, a Princeton graduate, as a conspiracy theorist with an unhealthy obsession.
“His current obsession is Texas Governor Rick Perry,” the document read, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The ad, made available online, invites readers to contact CASH, which is an acronym for the Committee Against Sexual Hypocrisy. CASH has no other members besides Morrow, who is also the president.
Morrow, profiled by the St. Petersburg Times in 2008, has been a longtime supporter of Congressman Paul. He has also accused the Clintons of various crimes and Hillary Clinton of infidelity.
When asked Friday by MacCallum if his campaign had done any research on Morrow, the Republican congressman emphatically said no.
"Insignificant, silly things, we don't waste a lot of time on that," Paul said.
