CEDAR RAPIDS — Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign is forcefully pushing back against attack ads President Donald Trump’s campaign is attempting to run in Iowa and elsewhere.

Politico.com reported that the president’s reelection campaign has announced an $8 million national television ad buy based on Trump’s repeated allegations that Biden acted inappropriately in helping his son, Hunter Biden, secure a relationship with a Ukrainian energy company. At least $1 million was earmarked for Iowa and the three other early voting states — New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

In response, the Biden campaign said it would mount a $6 million ad buy in those early states.

Biden deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield called the Trump ads a desperate attempt to distract voters from the impeachment inquiry underway in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House.

“As Donald Trump continues asking foreign governments to interfere in American elections, his campaign is desperately scrambling to distract from his ongoing abuses of power, spreading debunked lies about Joe Biden through an ad so bogus that some networks are even refusing to air it,” Bedingfield said.

The Trump campaign is targeting Iowa and other early states, she said, “because they want to pick their opponent, and they don’t want it to be Joe Biden — because they know Biden would beat him like a drum.”

CNN already has refused to air two Trump ads because the 30-second spots critical of House Democrats were inaccurate and unfairly attacked the network’s journalists.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s campaign manager Addisu Demissie also called on local TV stations, especially in the early states where voters will play a major role in the selection of a Democratic nominee, not to air the “baseless ads meant to deceive voters.”

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“We all have a responsibility to do the right thing and prevent Trump from defaming an honorable man and public servant with straight-up lies,” Demissie said. “I should hope that stations in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina join CNN in refusing to air this garbage.”

Fox News rejected the request from the Biden campaign, saying it’s not in the business of “censoring ads from candidates on either side of the aisle.” Biden, Fox said in its statement, has a standing invitation to appear on its platforms.

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