Attorneys for former President Donald Trump reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Republican Arizona Senate candidate Mark Brnovich, ordering the state attorney general to stop using Trump’s “name, image, and/or likeness” in his fundraising appeals, according to The Washington Post.
Trump endorsed tech executive Blake Masters in early June, but Brnovich has continued to use the former president’s photograph in fundraising pitches to supporters. Brnovich has raised more than $2.5 million throughout his campaign, Federal Election Commission records show, and has more than $500,000 on hand. (RELATED: Republican Senate Candidate Boasts Staggering $1.3 Million Fundraising Haul, Boosted By NFT Sales)
“Your use of President Trump’s name, image, and/or likeness is likely to deceive individuals into believing President Trump supports, endorses, or otherwise promotes your candidacy for U.S. Senate in Arizona — he does not,” an attorney for Trump wrote to the Brnovich campaign, The Washington Post reported Monday.
The Brnovich campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment on the matter.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Brnovich for the attorney general’s announcement in the aftermath of the 2020 election that he saw “no evidence, there are no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change.” The former president described Brnovich as a “disappointment,” claiming in his endorsement of Masters that Brnovich “understands what took place in the 2020 Presidential Election, and that it was Rigged and Stolen.”
BREAKING: President Trump endorses Blake Masters in Arizona Senate GOP race. @bgmasters pic.twitter.com/PIomEGvsMN
— Garret Lewis (@GarretLewis) June 2, 2022
Many Republican fundraisers use Trump’s picture and quotes in their fundraising requests, although the former president has sought to crack down on the use of his image. Trump sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Republican National Committee in March 2021, claiming that the organization did not have permission to use his name, image and likeness for the purpose of fundraising. The RNC declined to stop, with an attorney noting that Trump is a public figure and that the organization may “refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech.”