Sheriff featured in Kamala Harris ad voices outrage: 'I do not support her'
Tulare County, California, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux tells 'Fox & Friends' the advertisement is 'deceiving' and argues the vice president is not supportive of law enforcement or strong border security.
A California sheriff was less than pleased to find out he was featured in a new political ad for Kamala Harris in which she touts border security, which he says distorts the record.
"In light of a recent political ad put out by Kamala Harris featuring Sheriff Boudreaux, as well as other local law enforcement, the Sheriff wants to make it abundantly clear that his image is being used without his permission, and he does NOT endorse Harris for President or any other political office," Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said in a statement issued to Fox News Digital.
Boudreaux, who has spent 37 years in the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and is currently president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, described a visit Harris made to the Central Valley in 2013 when she was serving as the California attorney general.
The video features Boudreaux and other local and state law enforcement when Harris was in the Central Valley under circumstances that he couldn't recall, but he did remember her attitude during the visit.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux holds a press conference in Vasalia, California, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
"As a matter of fact, I would like to point out the misleading information projected in that same political ad. In the ad, Harris claims to have spent decades fighting violent crime as a ‘border state prosecutor.’ The facts are that ‘then California Attorney General Kamala’ came to the Valley in 2014 touting a years-long investigation into a multi-national drug operation, with ties to Mexican drug cartels and prison gangs," Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux said in that particular case, 11 people were arrested, including suspected "kingpin" Jose Magana of Dinuba.
"The truth is, Harris never cared about the cartels and did nothing to stop people from illegally crossing the border," Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux added that the appearance by Harris was all "smoke and mirrors."
"We were in the green room. She never came in and said hello to any of us. She walked up front, gave her presser, literally walked out, never said hi to any of us," Boudreaux said. "I'm disgusted because, you know, she didn't shake hands. She didn't say hello. And she's taken credit for all this work that the locals did."
TRUMP CLAIMS 'NOBODY' CHEERED HARRIS OUTSIDE AIR FORCE TWO DESPITE VIDEO, IMAGES OF CROWDS
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said he is outraged after his image appeared in a new campaign ad for Kamala Harris. (Golden State Justice)
Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, who is also featured in the ad, echoed Boudreaux's reaction to the video.
"The hypocrisy knows no bounds. It's disingenuous and her campaign ad, somehow now, touting her reputation as a prosecutor as a positive thing, she was attorney general under three of the worst tragedies that had befallen the citizens of the state of California.," Ward told Fox News Digital.
Boudreaux's political action committee, Golden State Justice, also issued a statement about the new campaign ad.
"As Attorney General, Kamala Harris undercut efforts by California law enforcement officials to stop criminals from flooding our state with guns and drugs across the border," the statement read.
"She repeatedly defunded and shuttered task forces designed to protect our residents, leaving the Valley and our state vulnerable," the statement continued. "Kamala's sad attempt to paint herself as tough on the border by implying my support – and the support of neighboring law enforcement leaders – is pathetic."
The statement finishes by stating that "a politician crowding the podium at a press conference clearly hasn't solved our border crisis. Neither has Kamala Harris."
KAMALA HARRIS DECLINES TIME MAGAZINE INTERVIEW AS SHE CONTINUES TO AVOID THE PRESS
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says a new political ad featuring an old video of him from 2013 is upsetting. (X/@MediumBuying)
The new ad, which promotes Harris' work as a border state prosecutor, claims she will "hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking."
"How can you go in and promote that you were this tight border person when all the troops are coming across the border, and you literally are eliminating all these task forces? I mean, that completely made us mad," Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux said at the time there were many layoffs and people looking for jobs because the Department of Justice was eliminating people.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"When you see that advertisement, if you do a little research, you'll find that what she's (Harris) touting goes completely against what was happening at the time, so when she put that picture out there with me in it, I got really upset, that ad is all smoke and mirrors," Boudreaux said. "I do not support her."
Ward also agreed with Boudreaux saying that all it took was a professional courtesy to let them know that they would be featured in a campaign ad.
"We're not hard people to find or to contact. Simple professional courtesy would have been warning us that it was going to be used. And I think that we are well within our rights to clarify the records," Ward said. "Just as Sheriff Boudreaux said, I do not in any way want the use of that photo to be construed as support of her (Harris) either in her candidacy, current candidacy, or even in her tenure as attorney general of the State of California."
True Crime
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
