(CNN) A Democratic candidate for Congress from Virginia compares President Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden in a digital and television ad released on Wednesday.

"After 9/11, the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave," narrates candidate Dan Helmer as a photo of bin Laden flashes on the screen. "Today, he lives in the White House. No one, even the President, is above the law."

Helmer -- an Army veteran who served in Iraq -- is running in the Democratic primary in Virginia's 10th Congressional District to face incumbent Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock. The advertisement, titled "Different," plays up Helmer's military service, emphasizing a new approach that Democrats are taking to recruit military veterans.

In a statement, White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah called the ad "nothing short of reprehensible."

"Leaders from across the political spectrum — starting with Leader (Nancy) Pelosi — must swiftly condemn this abhorrent message," Shah said.

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