KRDO13 Investigates: Candidate for CO-5 says campaign ads created safety concerns for family
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The race for Colorado's 5th Congressional has been far from friendly.
Tonight, Jessica Killin tells KRDO13 Investigates that pictures shown in two campaign ads caused her family to increase security at their Colorado home.
"We have very significant security at the house now. Because honestly, it's dangerous and it's frightening. And my daughter, that's the main thing my daughter was really worried," Killin said.
Killin told KRDO13 Investigates that in the past month, two ads have aired on TV that show a picture of her family's home in Colorado Springs. One was produced by the Crank campaign and another by the 'No Going Back' PAC.
"He can talk about my career. He's more than welcome to do that. You can do all that without putting another person and their family in danger," Killin said.
Killin said since those ads aired, a gardener reported someone driving up and recording the house.
For the former, the Killin campaign says they sent out a cease-and-desist order to the Crank campaign and local broadcasters, including KRDO13. However, the cease-and-desist didn't get the ads off the air.
"It puts the broadcaster in a really difficult position when they receive letters like that, whether it be related to liability or a cease-and-desist, because broadcasters can actually have their license taken away if they don't meet their reasonable access obligation for candidates," said Seth Williams, a lawyer who specializes in telecommunications.
Williams says broadcasters are very limited in their ability to edit anything an official campaign chooses to air.
KRDO13 Investigates reached out to the Jeff Crank Campaign, which declined an interview, but instead provided this statement:
"The desperation of Liberal DC Lobbyist Jessica Killin is on full display tonight. The Killin campaign is wildly referencing an ad that has been off the air for nearly a month. We can't be sure if she is referring to her mansion outside of Washington, DC or the mansion she recently bought in Colorado. Liberal DC Lobbyist Jessica Killin tried to bully television stations, including yours [KRDO13], on September 14th to not air ads about her two mansions sixteen hundred miles apart. Liberal DC Lobbyist Jessica Killin tried to bully our campaign three days later to not air ads about her $6 million mansions. Now, a full month later, and over four weeks since our ad last ran, she wants to talk about her mansions. It's a baffling strategy really, to bring up the fact that on June 20th of last year she bought a $3.5 million mansion in Colorado from profits trading stocks while working as a senior aide to Joe Biden. Less than one month later, she decided she would run for office and fund her campaign with those same stock trade profits. A baffling strategy indeed."
KRDO13 Investigates also attempted to contact the 'No Going Back' PAC by phone and email. As of 11:00 pm Monday, we have not received a response.
The Killin Campaign told KRDO13 Investigates that they did call Colorado Springs police to let them know there was a risk of a threat at the Killin Family home and requested increased officer presence in the area.
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