By Adam Allington / St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis, Mo –
The ad in question has been pulled from Youtube, as well as Robin Carnahan's Senate campaign website, after the Fox News Network filed suit on Wednesday.
Carnahan spokesman Linden Zakula defended the ad Thursday and said the campaign believes it complies with the law. Although it was pulled from the Internet, he said the ad will remain on TV.
The ad includes a clip from an 2006 interview by Fox News journalist Christopher Wallace with Republican Congressman Roy Blunt, who is Carnahan's opponent in the Senate race. In it, Wallace cites Blunt's ties to lobbyists and asks whether he's the right man to lead a reform effort.
[Wallace speaking]
"You tried to insert language into the homeland security act to help Philip-Morris Tobacco, while you were dating that company's lobbyist. And your campaign committee has paid $485,000 to a firm linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff."
The federal lawsuit claims copyright infringement and the misuse of Wallace's image.
Fox also accused the Carnahan campaign of misappropriating its content as part of 'smear ad' against the Blunt Campaign:
Linden Zakula said the campaign plans to fight the lawsuit.
"What's unclear to us is why Fox News is refusing to stand by its own content, that simply asks questions about Congressman Blunt's Washington record and his ties to convicted felon Jack Abramoff," Zakula said.