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A candidate for Washington County chair offered a non-apology apology for his use of a swastika in a campaign mailer
Instead, he blamed the media and his opponent for any part that was offensive.
"I apologize to anyone that may have been offended from the media and Kathryn Harrington's portrayal of the photo," wrote Washington County Commissioner Bob Terry, who is running against Harrington for county chair, in a Facebook post. "I will aggressively fight anti-Semitism and any form of racism as Washington County Chair."
The post on Nov. 4 came two days after WW first reported on the latest and most extreme example of his campaign advertising, which casts Portland as an enemy trying to invade Washington County, while playing up Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington's ties to Portland.
The mailer featured protests in Portland, including a protester carrying a swastika with a line marked through it. The original clearly shows it to be an anti-Nazi flag. The photo was darkened to appear ominous in the mailer, and the line through the swastika is barely visible.
“In that mailer we used an image that showed a real Portland riot that was taken by The Oregonian,” Terry wrote in his Facebook post. “The photo had an ANTI-swastika sign in the background, Harrington’s team was quick to make the case that we were racist because we had a real photo and ANTI-Swastika sign, and the media who love the Portland’s socialist movement was quick to run with her charges. Where was the opposition to The Oregonian when they took the photo?”
Terry does not explain why his campaign used a photo from The Oregonian when the newspaper has publicly stated it did not sell or grant permission for its use. The campaign has not responded to an inquiry from WW last week regarding their right to use the photo.
Related: These Are The Most Memorable and Controversial Campaign Ads Arriving in Oregon Mailboxes