California sheriff slams Harris for using his image in ‘misleading’ campaign ad, says he supports Trump

Written by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

A California sheriff is criticizing Kamala Harris for her “misleading” political ad that fraudulently touted her border patrol record and used his likeness without permission.

The video shows Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and other local and state law enforcement officials flanking then-Attorney General Harris during her visit to the Central Valley in 2014.

“In light of a recent political ad by Kamala Harris featuring Sheriff Boudreaux and other local law enforcement officials, the Sheriff wants to make it clear that his likeness is being used without his permission and that he is NOT endorsing Harris for president or any other political office,” the Sheriff said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Boudreaux served 37 years with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and is currently president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association.

“I would also like to point out the misleading information that is being projected in that same political ad. In the ad, Harris claims that he fought against violent crime for decades as a ‘border state attorney’.” said Boudreaux.

The advertisement claims:

“As a prosecutor in a border state, she took on drug cartels and jailed gang members for smuggling guns and drugs across the border.” Harris’ campaign ad also dubiously states that she will “hire thousands of additional border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking.”

Boudreaux and other law enforcement officials in Southern California were furious that Harris took credit for fighting crime at the border when she allegedly only “undermined” their efforts.

“How can you go in and claim you were a tough border guy when all the troops are coming across the border and you’re literally eliminating all these task forces? I mean, that drove us crazy,” Boudreaux told Fox News.

“If you see that ad, and you do a little bit of research, you’ll see that what she (Harris) is promoting is completely at odds with what was happening at the time, so when she put that picture online with me in it, It really made me angry, that ad is all smoke and mirrors“, said Boudreaux. “I don’t support her.”

Harris reportedly came to the Valley in 2014 to take credit for “a years-long investigation into a multinational drug trafficking ring with ties to Mexican drug cartels and prison gangs” conducted by local law enforcement.

According to the sheriff, 11 people were arrested, including suspected “ringleader” Jose Magana of Dinuba in that case.

“The truth is that Harris never cared about the cartels and did nothing to stop people from crossing the border illegally,” said Boudreaux.

The sheriff noted Harris’s arrogant attitude during the 2014 visit.

“We were in the green room. She never came in and said hello to any of us. She walked up, gave her press conference, literally walked away and never said hello to any of us,” Boudreaux said. “I’m disgusted because, you know, she didn’t shake hands. She didn’t say hello. And she took credit for all the work that the locals did.”

Boudreaux’s political action committee, Golden State Justice, also issued a scathing statement criticizing Harris’ new campaign ad.

“As Attorney General, Kamala Harris undermined the efforts of California law enforcement to stop criminals from flooding our state with guns and drugs across the border,” the statement said.

“She has repeatedly dismantled and shut down task forces meant to protect our residents, leaving the Valley and our state vulnerable,” the statement continued. “Kamala’s dismal attempt to portray herself as a tough guy on the border by implying that I support her — and the support of neighboring law enforcement leaders — is pathetic.”

The statement ended with the words: “A politician filling the podium at a press conference clearly has not solved our border crisis. Neither has Kamala Harris.”

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, who also appears in the ad, was also outraged by the video.

“The hypocrisy knows no bounds. It’s dishonest and her campaign ad, which somehow now touts her record as a prosecutor as something positive, was Attorney General under three of the worst tragedies that have befallen the citizens of the state of California,” Ward told Fox News.

Ward agreed with Boudreaux about the use of their images in a campaign ad without permission, saying it should have been a “professional courtesy” to let them know.

“We are not hard to find or contact. It would have been just professional courtesy to warn us that it would be used. And I think we have every right to clarify the data,” said Ward.

“Just as Sheriff Boudreaux said, I do not want the use of that photo to be construed in any way as an endorsement of her (Harris) in her candidacy, her current candidacy, or her tenure as Attorney General of the State of California.”

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Boudreaux said that in 2014, Harris showed up “for a short speech, didn’t shake anyone’s hand and quickly left the press conference room.”

He said law enforcement officials in Southern California are “very familiar” with Harris’ record and that her campaign ad was “misleading, to say the least.”

The sheriff added: “I just wanted to say that as the sheriff of Tulare County, who stands up for victims and is looking for someone who supports criminal justice and law enforcement, I think that would be best represented by Donald Trump, not Kamala Harris.”