Republican's wild FBI investigation claims backfire after Dem serves cease and desist

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) has been hit with a cease-and-desist warning from his Democratic opponent, who alleges that his campaign ads are spreading false and defamatory claims that he is under an FBI investigation.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the ads in question say that Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, the Democratic nominee in the race, "is currently under criminal investigation for stealing taxpayer money, assertions his campaign said falsely stem from a federal case that appeared to have quieted after the grand jury met in Philadelphia in 2022."

Per Harvie's attorneys, the probe "was about problems related to contracts, unions, and a Pennsylvania school district," and Harvie himself was never a subject of the investigation.

“Brian Fitzpatrick’s lies are intended to deceive the voters, and that’s a disgrace to this district,” said Harvie in a public statement.

Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, centered in suburban Bucks County on the outskirts of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, has long been a competitive seat, although Fitzpatrick, long considered a moderate Republican, has held it for years and fended off all Democratic challenges.

Recently, Fitzpatrick, who has often criticized President Donald Trump, told Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman that he would consider ditching party labels and running for re-election as an independent if it weren't for Pennsylvania's closed primary system.