A super PAC led by a prominent birther emailed supporters Sunday looking for positive stories of Ben Carson’s career while the retired neurosurgeon and presidential candidate is under intense scrutiny for false statements about his past.
The Daily Caller reported on Monday that John Philip Sousa IV, a conservative activist who has promoted the conspiracy theory about President Obama’s birthplace, has been supporting Carson with a PAC called The 2016 Committee.
Sousa, whose great grandfather arranged “The Star Spangled Banner,” emailed supporters on his listserv late Sunday evening asking for help, according to the report.
Sousa’s email subject line was, “Are you a former patient of Dr. Carson?”
The body of the email asked for previous patients who were willing to appear in a pro-Carson video or ad.
“The liberal media and powerful political establishment are doing everything they can to undermine Dr. Carson’s integrity,” Sousa wrote, according to the report. “They take innocent comments and misrepresent or misinterpret them; then claim Ben Carson isn’t honest. It’s preposterous. But we’re committed to staying positive and telling America about the ways Dr. Carson has saved lives.”
Sousa urged the readers to “stand up for Ben Carson” since he had been “standing up for you.”
Correction: This post has been updated to show that Sousa’s great grandfather arranged “The Star Spangled Banner.”
