The back and forth over a rally for Romney at an Ohio coal mine took a fresh twist. It's miner vs. miner in coal war ads

It’s an ad about an ad about an ad.

The back and forth over a rally for Mitt Romney at an Ohio coal mine took a fresh twist this week with the release of a new ad that seeks to clear the air on misunderstandings about the event.


Yes, the coal miners say in the ad, we were thrilled to attend the August campaign rally for the Republican presidential nominee — not forced to go.

The ad, released Monday, shows the employees at Murray Energy’s Century Mine at a news conference; there, a miner identified as Mitch Miracle says the chance to stand behind Romney was “a once-in-a-lifetime event right here in the Ohio Valley.”

The salvo is the latest in the battle of the airwaves, which started in August when local radio host David Bloomquist reported that about a dozen hourly employees at the mine told him anonymously that while the mine was closed for the day of the rally, they were required to attend the event without pay, and they weren’t happy about it.

In an on-air interview with Bloomquist, Murray Energy Vice President Rob Moore said, “We had managers that communicated to our workforce that the attendance at the Romney event was mandatory, but no one was forced to attend the event.”

The controversy grew after Romney used footage from the August rally in a campaign ad, re-igniting the contention that the miners were coerced to become props for the candidate.

The Obama campaign grabbed onto the charge, releasing its own ad that featured Bloomquist’s report.

But that wasn’t the end.

“Absolute lies. That’s what these coal miners had to say about Barack Obama’s claim that they were forced to attend a campaign rally for Mitt Romney,” the new ad says.

So why did the miners only come forward now?

“My comment is, where have you been?” Bloomquist said to POLITICO. “This story has been out there for two months. Not one person has contacted me to say it’s false.”

The miners in the ad sent a letter to President Barack Obama and to Bloomquist, saying his sources were likely discharged or disgruntled former employees.

The radio host said he feels like he has been caught in the crosshairs of a political fight that is not his. “I reported a news story … it’s been turned into a political tool by the Obama administration.”

And as for the miners, “it just seems like they're trying to play damage control,” he said.

“Murray's VP came on my air and said attendance was mandatory but nobody was forced to go. What the hell was that supposed to mean?” Bloomquist asked.

POLITICO was not able to get in touch with the miner Miracle, and Murray said the company was not involved in the news conference.

The newest ad is paid for by nonprofit Checks and Balances for Economic Growth, whose address puts it at the office of Pennsylvania law firm Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, LLP. But tax records indicate the CEO is Dan Perrin, president of the HSA Coalition. The group took in — and spent — more than $2 million in 2010, according to the nonprofit’s IRS filling from that year. Perrin declined to comment on the ad or its funding.

Checks and Balances for Economic Growth is also responsible for Ohio-based ads targeting Sen. Sherrod Brown, saying his support for the Obama EPA is going to result in 850 percent boosts to electricity bills.

The Obama campaign did not respond to request for comment.

No word yet on whether there will be an ad about the ad about the ad about the ad.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 1:37 p.m. on October 17, 2012.