Michelle Obama’s office says ads boosting Jeff Brown for Philly mayor are ‘manipulating old appearances’

The office of former first lady Michelle Obama is criticizing advertisements promoting Jeff Brown for Philadelphia mayor, saying in a statement that they rely on past footage of her to imply an endorsement she never made.

Both Brown, a longtime ShopRite proprietor and a first-time political candidate, and an outside spending group supporting his candidacy have run ads featuring video footage of Obama, some of which appears to have been edited.

The outside group is also circulating fliers that feature her prominently and say “vote Jeff Brown.”

“For any candidate looking to earn the public’s trust, manipulating old appearances that are out of context to suggest an endorsement is disappointing,” said Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to the former president and former first lady. “Mrs. Obama does not get involved in Democratic primaries and is not supporting this candidate.”

Brown has made much of his campaign about his efforts to open ShopRite stores in majority-Black Philadelphia neighborhoods that have experienced disinvestment. A little more than a decade ago, as he was running those stores, Brown appeared on several occasions alongside Obama, whose portfolio as first lady included work to bring healthy, affordable food to underserved neighborhoods.

The Daily Beast reported last week that Brown’s campaign told Michelle Obama’s office in mid-January that the ad featuring footage of her had run its cycle and would no longer appear on television. It remained on Brown’s campaign website and YouTube channel on Friday. Commercials paid for by a super PAC are still running.

Jimmy Cauley, Brown’s campaign manager who also managed Barack Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, said the ads weren’t meant to imply an endorsement.

He said the campaign hasn’t heard from Obama’s office since it stopped running the commercials on television last month.

“We’re not implying that it’s anything other than a testimonial about his work in food deserts,” Cauley said. He added: “Barack Obama has my cell phone number. He hasn’t called me.”

The campaign’s minute-long commercial included comments Obama made at two events in 2010 and 2011. It opened with her saying, “We want to replicate your success here in Pennsylvania all across America.” According to a transcript from the event, the remark was praising a state-run incentive program for fresh food providers that was similar to federal investments she was pledging that day, not Brown specifically.

The ad included footage of Obama praising Brown by name, saying he put “innovation into work in our communities.” It ended with her saying, “I commend you for your leadership and for doing what’s best for the people of this city,” a comment that appears to have been edited. According to the transcript, Obama was referring to both Brown and Pat Burns, another grocer who had hosted the first lady on a tour earlier in the day.

“It was just a wonderful tour, a wonderful experience, and I commend both of you for your leadership and for doing what’s best for the people of this city,” Obama said, according to the transcript. In the ad, the words both of were removed.

A second commercial featuring the former first lady and Brown continues to air in the Philadelphia area and was paid for by For a Better Philadelphia, a super PAC. The ad shows the former first lady praising Brown during a 2011 event at the White House and highlighting his efforts to open ShopRites in neighborhoods without access to large grocery stores.

“I think that Jeff Brown put it best when he said, ‘We’re not gonna be on the sidelines, we’re gonna be right with our communities,’” Obama says in the commercial. Her remarks match a transcript from the event.

The group is also circulating fliers that feature the former first lady. They include an image of Obama and the same quote from her about Brown. The flier reads, “Vote Jeff Brown for mayor” and lists unions that have endorsed him.

Campaign-finance reports filed this week show the group had more than $3 million in the bank at the end of last year, most of which came from a dark-money group that has not disclosed its donors. For a Better Philadelphia has spent a six-figure sum to air the commercials, according to media trackers.

Dan Siegel, a consultant for the PAC, said Friday the group had not heard from Obama’s camp.

“We certainly wouldn’t want to take Mrs. Obama’s comments out of context,” Siegel said. “We just think she’s a very good validator of [Brown’s work].”