Kevin Cramer: I Never Said The Patriot Riders Endorsed Me

The latest in the cemetery-gate scandal – apparently the Most Important Political Topic in North Dakota – is Rep. Kevin Cramer responding to a Huffington Post article which “reports” that Cramer claimed an endorsement from the Patriot Guard.

“…the North Dakota Patriot Guard — which organizes motorcycle rides to honor veterans — has come out to make it clear that even though Cramer said he featured ‘Patriot Riders’ on motorcycles in the ad, the group does not support the congressman and does not make political endorsements,” wrote Amanda Terkel earlier this week.

Cramer sent out a press release making it clear that he never claimed an endorsement from the Patriot Guard. Only that some of the participants of the group chose to participate in his commercial.

From a press release he sent out this afternoon:

CRAMER STATEMENT ON RECENT CLAIMS ABOUT VETERANS AD

FARGO, N.D. – Today Congressman Kevin Cramer released the following statement on recent claims by out-of-state media outlets about his veterans ad:

“It has come to my attention that some news sources outside North Dakota including the Huffington Post have implied my recent campaign ad claimed to have the endorsement of the North Dakota Patriot Guard. While individual members of the Patriot Guard did appear in the ad on their own behalf, I want to make it clear we neither sought nor received an endorsement from the organization. 

“Although many veterans around the state have contacted me to express their disappointment the ad is no longer running, it will remain off the air to respect the wishes of the North Dakota National Guard and ensure they do not become entangled in the back-and-forth of politics.”

So that’s that. Cramer never claimed an endorsement from the Patriot Guard, but that was invented so that Democrats could keep up their outrage for a few days longer. Because they don’t have anything else to campaign on.