AURORA, Colo., April 24 (UPI) -- Families of the victims of the Aurora shooting are angry about an insensitive political attack ad used by the Koch-backed conservative group Americans for Prosperity.
The ad shows a photo-shopped image of Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., standing next to President Barack Obama with grim faces to show their dissatisfaction with the Affordable Care Act. The image, however, is from Udall standing next to Obama as he addressed the families of the victims after the shooting. They thought the use of the image for political gain was insensitive to the losses they suffered.
"The use of an image taken from the President's visit to Colorado to meet with us after our children were killed in the Aurora Theater shooting is an utter disgrace," the family members said in a statement. "And to insinuate the somber expressions were for anything other than their compassionate response to our heartbreak is beyond unconscionable. Americans for Prosperity is exploiting our tragedy for political gain and this ad should be pulled from the air immediately. We hope Colorado television stations will exercise sound judgment and not air this ad until AFP removes the image."
The Americans for Prosperity ad has not been removed, but a new image has been Photoshopped and added. They called the use of the photo an "unfortunate oversight."