DFL ad on Lisa Demuth and the ICE surge leaves out what she said next

A DFL Party ad attacking Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth leaves out part of what she said about the deaths of two Minnesota residents during the ICE surge. It's one of two ads in Minnesota's governor's race that WCCO looked at for facts and context, with about two weeks until Election Day.

The ad says Demuth praised President Trump and Kristi Noem on the ICE surge, and that the deaths of two Minnesota residents were "the cost of it."

What the ad doesn't mention is that Demuth said in the Star Tribune: "But it was local decisions, high-level local decisions that inflamed the entire situation."

Republican analyst Amy Frederiksen said the ad is "completely unfair" because it makes it sound as if Demuth is shrugging off the deaths as the cost of doing business. "It's not believable," she added.

The same ad says Demuth said Mr. Trump's health care cuts were good for Minnesota, even as they drive up costs and put nursing homes at risk. Demuth did say that. She agrees with Republican arguments that the cuts are important to reduce waste, curb fraud and make sure taxpayer aid goes to qualified applicants.

But federal cuts have increased costs for states, and Medicaid reimbursements no longer cover what they used to, contributing to some nursing facilities closing.

A second ad claims Sen. Amy Klobuchar has no plan on fraud. That's not true, according to Andy Luger, a Klobuchar supporter and former U.S. attorney. Asked whether Klobuchar has a plan to address fraud, Luger said, "I think she's got the plan." Her plan is also featured on her website. Prior WCCO reporting said it includes an audit of state agencies starting "on day one," blocking payments to anyone convicted of fraud and stronger criminal penalties.

Luger also disputes the ad's claim that Klobuchar did nothing on fraud. He said she delivered on getting more prosecutors after Feeding Our Future, the pandemic-era scheme prosecutors have described as a $250 million fraud, and that his office ended up with the largest award of any U.S. attorney's office in the country.

Political ads average 30 seconds, which isn't much time to make a point. That's why they can skim over context and history. The ads will keep coming, but only until Election Day.