Lie #1: Gomez falsely accuses Markey of not supporting 9/11 victims.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, Gabriel Gomez falsely accused Ed Markey of not supporting 9/11 victims, despite FactCheck.org ripping the identical attack in 2012 as “false and vicious.”

Lie #2: Gomez falsely accuses Markey of blaming him for Newtown.

On Wednesday, Gabriel Gomez began airing an ad ridiculously claiming that Ed Markey was blaming Gomez for the Newtown school shooting. “Despite what the ad says, Markey has not blamed Gomez for the Newtown shooting,” wrote the Boston Globe before the ad even aired. FactCheck.org added that the ad’s attacks were completely “false.”

Lie #3: Gomez falsely accuses Markey of comparing him to Osama bin Laden.

The same false attack ad by Gomez also claimed that Ed Markey compared him to Osama bin Laden. Also not true. The Markey campaign put out a web video highlighting Gomez’s role as the spokesman for a group that accused President Obama of politicizing the death of Osama bin Laden. FactCheck.org called the attack untrue. As Slate put it, “Markey isn’t saying anything like that. He’s saying Gomez flacked for a PAC that ran ads using images of bin Laden, who’s been dead for two years.”

Lie #4: Gomez falsely attacks Markey’s effectiveness in Congress.

While simultaneously calling Ed “pond scum,” Gomez falsely claimed that Markey had “not authored a single piece of legislation in the last 20 years” that was enacted into law. WBUR wrote that the attack “doesn’t hold up” or “stand up to scrutiny.”

WATCH: Gabriel Gomez Calls Ed Markey “Pond Scum.”

 
“An increasingly shrill and desperate Gabriel Gomez spent the entire week peddling debunked lies about Ed Markey, and then stooped so low as to call Markey ‘pond scum,'” said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh. “No amount of false attacks or low-brow name calling by Gabriel Gomez will change the fact that Gomez is opposed to an assault weapons ban and limits on high-capacity magazines, was the spokesman for a secretly-funded special interest group that tried to ‘swift boat’ President Obama’s reelection, and refuses to tell taxpayers how much he pocketed in 2005, the year he took a $280,000 scam tax break on his Cohasset mansion.”

BACKGROUND

Lie #1

FactCheck.org Labeled Identical Attack On Dem. Senator Tammy Baldwin “False And Vicious.” FactCheck.org reported on an identical Republican attack on Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2012 that used the same vote to claim that she didn’t support 9-11 victims.  FactCheck.org wrote: “A false and vicious TV ad attacks Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin for voting against “honoring the victims of 9/11.” The fact is, she voted to award three Congressional Gold Medals to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Virginia and Pennsylvania. So what’s the ad talking about? It cites her 2006 vote against a ceremonial resolution on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 — which Baldwin opposed because she said the GOP-drafted resolution ‘politicized’ the anniversary by praising controversial legislation, such as the USA Patriot Act.” [FactCheck.org, 10/23/12]

PolitiFact Called Identical Attack From GOP In 2012 “Mostly False.” “Thompson said his Democratic challenger voted against a resolution honoring 9/11 victims. Technically he’s correct. Baldwin voted against the measure in 2006 — and criticized Republicans for adding in references to the Patriot Act, immigration bills, and other controversial matters. But Baldwin has voted nine times in favor of similar resolutions and the day before the vote in question supported creation of a memorial at the World Trade Center site. Thompson’s statement contains an element of truth, but leaves out critical information that would give a different impression. That’s our definition of Mostly False.” [PolitiFact, 10/26/12]

Lie #2

Boston Globe: “Despite What The Ad Says, Markey Has Not Blamed Gomez For The Newtown Shooting.” “Despite what the ad says, Markey has not blamed Gomez for the Newtown shooting. Markey has released an ad that highlights Gomez’s opposition to an assault weapons ban and to limits on high-capacity magazines, ‘like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.’” [Boston Globe, 5/21/13]

FactCheck.org: “A False Claim Of Blame In Mass. Senate Race.” FactCheck.org reported: “Republican Gabriel Gomez falsely claims his opponent in the Massachusetts Senate race blamed him for the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and compared him to Osama bin Laden.” It continued: “Democratic Rep. Ed Markey did release a TV ad saying Gomez “is against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.” But that’s all it said about the December shooting.” [FactCheck.org, 5/23/13]

Lie #3

FactCheck.org: Markey “Does Not Directly Compare Gomez To Bin Laden.” FactCheck.org reported: “Republican Gabriel Gomez falsely claims his opponent in the Massachusetts Senate race blamed him for the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and compared him to Osama bin Laden.” It continued: “The Markey campaign also produced a Web video that displays an image of Gomez while simultaneously playing part of a controversial film that includes a photo of bin Laden. The Markey video makes the point that Gomez championed a film that “swift boated” President Obama. It does not directly compare Gomez to bin Laden.” [FactCheck.org, 5/23/13]

Slate: Markey Campaign “Saying Gomez Flacked For A PAC That Ran Ads Using Images Of Bin Laden.” “Gomez campaign and NRSC execute what I call Soccer Injury Politics—arguing that an American hero, Gabriel Gomez, had been unfairly placed next to OBL, and that this caused great distress…But Markey isn’t saying anything like that. He’s saying Gomez flacked for a PAC that ran ads using images of bin Laden, who’s been dead for two years.” [Slate, 5/6/13]

Lie #4

WBUR [headline]: “Gomez Claim on Markey Effectiveness Doesn’t Hold Up” WBUR reported that Gomez “dropped a line he’s offered up several times of late: Markey, he said, hasn’t sponsored a single bill in the last 20 years that became law. It’s a sweeping claim, designed to undermine the central rationale for Markey’s candidacy: that with experience, the Democrat has developed into an effective legislator. Is it true, though? Independent observers say the argument doesn’t hold up. ‘It’s, at best, a shaky attack,’ says Norman J. Ornstein, a resident scholar at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute and one of the country’s most respected Congressional observers. ‘I’ve watched Markey since he came to the House and I’ve written many times before that he’s one of the most effective legislators’ in Congress…Bottom line, observers say: Gomez’s claim that Markey hasn’t accomplished anything in the last 20 years doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.” [WBUR, 5/22/13]