Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), whose Senate campaign in the Republican primary against Sen. John McCain has come under scrutiny due to his 2007 appearance in a questionable infomercial for “free money” from government grants, is standing by his involvement in the ad — and saying “buyer beware.”
In a live video webcast last night, Hayworth discussed the matter. “It is similar in many ways to my days in broadcasting, when we would have advertising clients, who would pay for a live endorsement,” said Hayworth, in a clip that has been distributed by the McCain campaign. “I always say about any product or service, one of the staples I learned growing up is caveat emptor, ‘buyer beware.’ I think that is a given in any commercial endeavor - I would certainly hope in this one. But yeah, I’m a broadcaster, and yeah, I appeared in this, and yes, it was a job. And that’s that.”
That would be a fun slogan for a Senate campaign: “Buyer Beware.”
The infomercial promoted seminars at which people could obtain information on “free money” from the government, in the form of grants or loans they would not have to pay back. The seminars themselves would then sell people packets of information for $999. The parents company received an F rating from the Better Business Bureau, and was the subject of a letter to the Federal Trade Commission by 32 state attorneys general.
In the infomercial, Hayworth’s endorsement was burnished along with his credentials as a former Congressman and member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Republican primary will be held on August 24. The TPM Poll Average has McCain leading by 51.2%-37.1%.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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