The Republican Ad Setting AOC On Fire-- Who Financed It?

If you watched the Democratic presidential debate on ABC last week, you probably saw the disgusting 30 second ad above. It was run by Elizabeth Heng, a 2018 Republican congressional candidate in California's Central Valley. The ABC-TV affiliate in Fresno explained the controversy for anyone who missed the debate or ad. ABC30 reporter Nathalie Granda:

An ad showing a picture of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bursting into flames is sparking outrage.

Elizabeth Heng, the woman behind the ad, is facing backlash after comparing the congresswoman to the Khmer Rouge regime.

"It's an appalling example of fear-mongering. Elizabeth Heng has proven herself to be a tool of the most out-of-touch right-wingers in the country." Fresno County Democratic Party Chair Michael Evans said.

The ad is from the group called New Faces GOP PAC , which was created by Heng.

Committee officials said the group is to recruit and diversify the GOP while the goal of the ad is to hold Ocasio-Cortez accountable for her rhetoric.

"It was to engage in the discussion, and engage in the direction of policies that AOC and her cohorts are pushing," New Faces GOP spokesperson Matt Langston said.

The video goes on to show the bones of victims of the Cambodian regime while Heng narrates her family's history.

While Heng got the message out to some, many others called it "offensive."

"The reason I think it's getting a lot of backlash is because people are tired of political extremism. It's not unlike someone on the other side referring to Donald Trump as Hitler," Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler said.

One of those criticizing the ad is Councilmember Esmerelda Soria calling the ad quote "disturbing" in a tweet.

Other council members are glad she spoke up.

"The ad was truth. Socialism is evil plain and simple, there's many people promoting it. It's a destructive ideology," Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld said.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez responded to the video.

In a quote, she said "Republicans are running TV ads setting pictures of me on fire to convince people they aren't racist." In another tweet, she also said "What you just watched was a love letter to the GOP's white supremacist case."

This is the first video released by the New Faces GOP group.

Richard Caglia, a Fresno State Center Trustee, confirmed to Action News that's he has asked for a refund after contributing to Heng's new organization.

On Friday, Chris Cuomo spanked the idiotic-sounding Heng on CNN. I said "idiotic-sounding" because Heng might not actually be an idiot, despite behaving like one. She did well at Stanford and Yale, which probably means something. Anyway, judge for yourself if Heng is an idiot or not:





In 2018, Heng was the Republican congressional candidate against right-wing Blue Dog Jim Costa (CA-16-- Fresno, Madera, Chowchilla, Los Banos, Atwater). In a shockingly low turn-out, Costa beat her 82,268 (57.5%) to 60,693 (42.5%). Costa spent $2,338,228 on the campaign and Heng spent $1,235,784. 4 wealthy right-wing extremists in Fresno-- Richard Spencer, John Harris, Robert Smittcamp and One Putt Broadcasting (a local radio conglomerate owned by right-wing campaign donor John Ostlund)-- contributed over $100,000 to a phony PAC, "Central Valley's Future," to smear Costa on behalf of Heng. "Few people came out to vote," a friend in Fresno told me, "because neither candidate had anything to offer anyone. It was like Godzilla vs Mothra... There was no lesser evil in that election... No choice, no voters."

Open Secrets explained that "the group behind the disgusting anti-AOC ad-- New Faces GOP PAC-- is a recently formed superPAC funded mainly by Republican donors and little-known corporations, most of whom also gave money to Heng’s campaign. The group’s website says its goal is to “help elevate the next generation of Republicans so that we can not only survive as a party, but expand beyond the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves.”

The group has received nearly $171,000 from 22 donors since January. It spent $71,800-- almost half of what it raised-- airing the ad in the nation’s capital during and after the Thursday debate, according to Federal Communications Commission records in OpenSecrets’ political ad database.

The super PAC is mostly funded by longtime GOP donors and a handful of obscure companies.

Venture capitalist Paul Martino, who founded San Francisco firm Bullpen Capital, wrote a $25,000 check to the new group. A longtime Republican donor, Martino maxed out contributions to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and his leadership PAC Reinventing a New Direction, as well as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) over the years. Martino’s River Horse PAC also gave $2,000 to Heng’s campaign last year.

New York businessman Andrew Sabin, an active donor to both Republicans and conservation causes, contributed $10,000 to New Faces GOP. He’s the most prolific donor to fund the Heng-related group, having given hundreds of thousands to Republican candidates and groups including $100,000 to President Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee, Trump Victory.

Apart from big individual donors, the super PAC also attracted money from California holding companies and shell entities.

Tov Investments, LLC made the largest contribution of those companies at $25,000. The limited-liability corporation is a property investment company for Millbrae resident Karen Tov and other members of her family, according to California business records. Members of the Tov family gave $21,600 to Heng’s campaign in 2018.

Hanna Trust DTD, a shell corporation affiliated with California businessman David Hanna, gave $10,000 to the group. Hanna, the son of legendary animator William Hanna, gave $5,400 to Heng last year. An active Republican donor, he gave a total of $175,000 to the once-mighty Karl Rove-affiliated American Crossroads super PAC between the 2012 and 2016 election cycles.

Shiralian Enterprises-- which gave $5,000-- is an umbrella company for gas stations and truck stops owned by Fresno businessman Shawn Shiralian, according to California business records. Shiralian contributed $2,700 to Heng in 2018 and is an active donor to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).

Another donor corporation, T Management Services, Inc, is an obscure consulting firm owned by Long Beach businessman Gary DeLong, according to California business records. DeLong, a former Long Beach city council member, ran unsuccessfully for California’s 47th District seat in 2012. He also gave $2,700 to Heng in 2018 and chipped in another $12,500 to the House Republicans’ Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC.

Other donors to give $10,000 include the owner of a California onion farm and the senior advisor at a Los Angeles private equity firm.

One of the group’s original largest donors, California businessman James Jameson, had his $25,000 contribution refunded in June. The former George H.W. Bush administration official gave $5,400 to Heng’s unsuccessful 2018 campaign and is a longtime donor to California Republicans.

Jameson is now part of a planetary defense group that aims to protect Earth against asteroids. In 2011, he published a memoir detailing his business career, which involved starting businesses in former communist countries, and reflecting on the successes and shortcomings of capitalism.

The only Republican who filed to run against Costa this time is real estate agent Kevin Cookingham. Apparently Heng is sitting this one out. There are two Democrats in the race as well, a city councilwoman barely distinguishable from Costa policy-wise, and former diplomat and current college professor Kim Williams, who has been endorsed by Blue America. Watch this quick video she made for us yesterday and consider contributing to her campaign at this link.