By John Celock
Kansas Republicans are channeling the AMC television series “Breaking Bad” in a new parody video highlighting the Democratic gubernatorial nominee having received a lap dance in a strip club during a 1998 drug raid.
In a new video, posted to YouTube on Tuesday, compares Democratic gubernatorial nominee Paul Davis to Saul Goodman, the attorney character on “Breaking Bad.” The ad follows a report in the Coffeyville Journal on Saturday that Davis was present in a Coffeyville, Kan. strip club in 1998 during a drug raid, where Davis told police that he was an attorney for the club’s owner. Davis was receiving a lap dance from a stripper when the Montgomery County sheriff’s office entered the strip club. Davis was not arrested and never accused of having any part in the drug raid, which focused on meth sales.
“Done something bad, can’t find a lawyer with low enough standards to take your case, better call Paul,” the ad says.
On the show, which focused on a meth dealer in Utah, the fictional Goodman was known for the motto, “Better Call Saul.”
Davis’ campaign released a statement to Politico on Saturday where he said that he was taken to the strip club by his boss, noting that the strip club, Secrets, was a client. Davis did not address the lap dance in the statement, in which he also discussed a reported FBI investigation in to an associate of Gov. Sam Brownback (R).
“While we were in the building, the police showed up,” Davis said in the statement to Politico. “I was never accused of having done anything wrong, but rather I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Davis, the state House minority leader, is a partner in the Lawrence law firm of Fagan, Emert and Davis. His profile on the firm’s website says that his current practice is focused on family law, estate planning and bankruptcy. The firm’s website notes that the five attorney firm handles criminal defense work in addition to a variety of civil law specialties, with two other attorneys listing criminal work as specialties. Davis is leading Brownback in a competitive election.
The GOP ad also touches on a Davis commercial from earlier this month where the main actor in the commercial, Jeff Montague, was revealed to have been arrested for allegedly soliciting sodomy in a Topeka park in 2007. Montague later entered into a diversion agreement with local court officials in order to drop the charges. Davis pulled the ad after Montague’s past had come to light.
“We produced a series of ads. Today, it was brought to our attention that a participant in one of those ads has serious issues in his background. Upon hearing of these issues, the ad, which ran for a few hours, was pulled down immediately,” David spokesman Chris Pumpelly said about the Montague ad earlier this month. “I want to apologize to Kansans for this mistake.”
The GOP video includes a fast scroll across the screen as a disclaimer about the references in the video, noting they are “paid actors.” Davis did not represent Montague and while the ad references DWI cases, there have been no reports of Davis handling work in this area. Davis’ exact legal coverage of the strip club has not been revealed.