Campaign flyer is 'replete with falsehoods,' GOP candidate's wife says

A lawyer representing Kristen Truong, the wife of Republican Manatee County Commission District 3 candidate Tal Siddique, has sent a cease and desist letter to a political action committee after it mailed a flyer containing claims she said are false and inflammatory.

The mailer, sent to voters from a political action committee called The Committee to Expose Fake Republicans, alleges Siddique “has a direct connection to the Clintons – his wife!” 

The mailer continues: “The Siddiques are Democrats, who records show worked for liberal causes and have ties directly to the Clintons.”

Photo by Janet Combs

The letter demands the committee and its chairman, noted GOP political consultant Anthony Pedicini, “cease and desist from further false and defamatory statements regarding Ms. Truong," the letter says.

“Fake Republicans’ mailings and text communications are replete with falsehoods, misrepresentations and doctored graphics with no other purpose than to mislead readers and damage Ms. Truong’s reputation,” it says.

The mailer also appeared to have a photo of Siddique and Truong standing beside Bill and Hillary Clinton, which the letter says is fake, saying "Fake Republicans knows that this graphic is photoshopped and misleading.”

The letter also refutes the mailer’s claim that Truong only recently moved to Manatee County. 

“She was born and raised in Manatee County, Florida, and resides there. Ms. Truong has maintained her residency in Manatee County, Florida throughout her youth and adulthood,” the letter states.

The letter also says Truong has never been a Democrat, having been a registered Republican since she was 18 years old.

District 3 represents West Bradenton, including the north section of Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. 

The letter also said the mailer was sent without the approval of the county’s republican leadership. 

“Fake Republicans and Anthony Pedicini have acted directly contrary to their client’s instructions and desires,” the letter states.

At a recent candidate event, (Manatee County Republican Executive Committee chair) April Culbreath said she “never would have approved” the mailer and text with images of Ms. Truong.

The letter, from attorney Michael Beltran of Tampa, demands the committee mail a retraction and apology to the same people the mailer was sent, and to not do it again.

“To avoid any liability, we recommend that Fake Republicans, Pedicini, and any clients or agents thereof refrain from any remarks regarding Ms. Truong or her husband until no earlier than Aug. 21, 2024.”

In a response to the cease-and-desist letter, Ricardo A. Reyes, the lawyer representing Pedicini and the PAC, dismisses the Siddiques’ demands, saying they would violate his client’s right to free speech.

“The threats of litigation … constitute a clear attempt to silence political speech on matters of public importance in advance of an upcoming election,” Reyes' letter says. “Our clients cannot agree to your demand to suppress free speech in an election campaign.”

Reyes also defends the flyer’s assertions that Truong has associations with Bill and Hillary Clinton by pointing out she is listed as vice president of public affairs for Capitol Hill Partners, a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm whose top staff were former Clinton administration officials.

This article has been updated to include the response from the PAC.