Veterans are speaking out against Democrat congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar for using his military career to amplify his campaign.
Campa-Najjar allegedly referred to himself as a “Navy Officer” in his campaign materials, differing from his actual title of Navy Reserve officer. Because of this alleged discrepancy, Campa-Najjar’s campaign has raised eyebrows, since Navy policy requires reservists running for office to accurately disclose their military status.
‘Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts.’
The Navy later said officials will be “looking into” Campa-Najjar’s campaign in light of the alleged violation of Pentagon policy.
“I supported Ammar in the past, but won’t again,” Elizabeth Perez-Rodriguez, a Navy combat veteran, told the New York Post.
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Campa-Najjar, who is notably dating billionaire heiress Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), also caused uproar after staging photo opportunities for his campaign website. The photo that caught the most attention was from the Massachusetts National Cemetery, depicting Campa-Najjar near the grave of a Korean War veteran whom he reportedly had no connection to.
“As a combat veteran,” Perez-Rodriguez continued, “I can’t stand when political candidates exploit the uniform for politics, and using a veteran’s grave site in your campaign is toxic and disrespectful.”
“Our national cemeteries are sacred ground — not political backdrops,” Marine Corps combat veteran Brian Van Riper told the Post. “Using a service member’s grave site at a VA cemetery for political campaign photos is among the most disrespectful, distasteful, and cynical political ploys I’ve ever seen.”
“All these allegations are damning and show a complete disregard for what military service and wearing the uniform should mean,” Michael Malach, an Army combat veteran, told the Post. “Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts, especially using posed portraits at a deceased veteran’s grave to try and boost his campaign.”
Campa-Najjar’s campaign website does list him as a U.S. Navy Reserve officer alongside a disclaimer saying, “Any references to his military rank, service, or photographs in uniform are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the Department of War or the Department of the Navy.”
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Campa-Najjar’s campaign manager, Andi McNew, pushed back against the allegations, saying the cemetery photo was taken while “participating in an official Memorial Day event where he, alongside his unit, honored fallen service members.”
“At no point did the campaign engage in political activity at a VA cemetery, and any suggestion otherwise is a misrepresentation of both the facts and the applicable rules,” Andi McNew told the Post.
This is Campa-Najjar’s third congressional campaign. He is now running for California’s newly redrawn 48th District against incumbent Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.
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