It looks like Democrats may have more concerns about stolen valor. Beyond the concerns with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), there's an ad for Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), who is running for reelection in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The ad discussing the fentanyl and border crises was released by House Majority Forward, and it features a man identified as "Officer Jeff Potts." As it turns out, though, the New York Post is reporting that he is not actually an officer and the badge he's seen wearing is described as "illegitimate."
Potts, in a uniform and badge, declares that "Susan Wild has our back." The Post describes him as "actually an auxiliary officer."
As the report further details:
A police union leader in Wild’s district told The Post that Potts’ status as an “auxiliary officer” means he has limited policing authority and no arrest powers.
“The only authority he has is to check permits at pavilions to make sure people are at a proper pavilion and they’re authorized to be there,” said Gene Hatcher, President of the Fraternal Order of Police’s Le-Hampton Lodge 35 — which is named for Lehigh and Northampton counties in the eastern Pennsylvania region it covers.
The official website of Emmaus — a Lehigh County borough of 11,000 people adjacent to the city of Allentown — says auxiliary officers serve to “aid and supplement” the police department, such as by providing security at athletic events and working as crossing guards.
Lehigh County documents show Potts earned $17.95 hourly as an auxiliary officer while working in an unspecified year under Emmaus Police Chief Charles Palmer, who retired in 2021.
Potts is not listed as an employee in Emmaus’ current staff directory.
“That shirt that he’s wearing in the ad was not issued by Emmaus to him, nor was the badge,” Hatcher told The Post. “So he went out and got those on his own.”
The badge worn by Potts in the ad is available for $4.19 on Galls.com, an online retailer that sells equipment for first responders.
Gene Hatcher, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police’s Le-Hampton Lodge 35 mentioned in the excerpt above, had even stronger words against Potts and Wild.
"He puts on something that says 'police officer' and he’s not,' Hatcher is quoted as saying. "That’s impersonating a police officer in my opinion and the DA should investigate it."
Hatcher explained further why he sees this as stolen valor. "To me, it’s stolen valor," he also said. "He’s acting like he’s out there doing drug raids and fighting bad guys, and he has never done that in his life." It was a point, and a pattern, that Hatcher doubled down on. "In my opinion, it’s just another Democratic ploy," he continued. "Stolen valor, and it’s just deceptive."
The report certainly went noticed by the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF).
As a Friday press release from CFL noted [Emphasis original]:
This episode raises an important question and point about Susan Wild’s record: Why couldn’t they get a real cop to appear in this ad? Because Congresswoman Susan Wild’s record is anti-police and anti-public safety.
From being endorsed by far-left groups who advocate for defunding the police, to voting to lessen penalties for violent criminals, to countless votes against fixing the border crisis that is now spilling into PA towns, Wild’s record on public safety is abysmal.
"No one around here has endorsed Susan Wild," Hatcher also told The Post on that note. "This is why she chose this deceptive tactic." He added that "…she won’t even contact us for an endorsement."
Courtney Parella, a spokesperson for CFL, also shared a statement. "Susan Wild and her minions are so desperate to hoodwink voters about her dangerous record, they’ve stooped as low as putting a fake police officer in an ad,” she said. “Susan Wild should apologize to voters for this disgraceful attempt to deceive them, and she should apologize to the police officers she defrauded. This incident raises important questions, though: why won’t real cops appear in pro-Susan Wild ads? That's because her record is decidedly anti-cop and anti-public safety."
Wild's race against Republican Ryan Mackenzie is regarded by most forecasters to be a "Toss-Up." She won by two points against Republican Lisa Scheller in 2022 at 51-49 percent.