Republican group calls on Herrera Beutler to 'stand up for the rule of law'

A Republican group focused on removing political interference from prosecutions launched an ad on Fox News aimed at Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground.

The 30-second ad, which aired in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District during the network’s morning news show, ran from Tuesday to Friday. It calls on Herrera Beutler to “stand up for the country, and stand up for the rule of law.”

“Representative Herrera Beutler: The country is in crisis. The president of the United States has requested foreign interference in American elections to benefit himself politically,” a narrator says over black and white photos and video of the congresswoman and President Donald Trump.

The ad points to Trump’s request that the Ukraininan president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, investigate his chief political rival Joe Biden.

“This is an abuse of power by the chief executive of our country. He won’t stop until Republicans like you stand up and say that it’s wrong,” the ad’s narrator says.

The ad was paid for by Republicans for the Rule of Law, a coalition of conservatives “who believe law enforcement investigations should be completed without political interference, the laws apply equally to everyone, and the Constitution needs to be followed,” according to the group’s website. The 501(c)4 group is part of Defending Democracy Together, a splinter group of conservatives that pushes back on some positions adopted by Republicans.

Herrera Beutler was one of more than 20 members of Congress targeted by the $1 million ad buy.

In a prepared statement, Republicans for the Rule of Law spokesman Chris Truax said all of Congress should be “horrified” by Trump’s actions.

“Until President Trump came along, American politics stopped at the water’s edge. Honest Republicans will say publicly what they believe privately. Some, like Senator Mitt Romney, already have. They must tell their constituents — as well as the Ukrainian, Chinese, and other governments — that foreign interference in American elections is unconditionally forbidden. And they must tell President Trump. They need to do it publicly. They need to do it clearly. And they need to do it now.”

Herrera Beutler has said she supports launching a formal impeachment inquiry, but that there was no proof that the president had swapped foreign aid for political favors with Zelenskiy.

The president’s now-infamous phone call with Zelenskiy, she said earlier this week, was “unwise.”

“But I don’t think that’s a high enough bar for impeachment,” Herrera Beutler said.