A county sheriff in California has expressed strong displeasure after Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign ad featured him without his consent. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, a veteran with 37 years of service who now leads the California State Sheriffs’ Association, said he was “really upset” that his image was used in the advertisement without any prior consultation or permission.
Unapproved Use of Image
Sheriff Boudreaux stated that the footage used in the ad was filmed in 2013 in California’s Central Valley, during the time when Kamala Harris served as California’s Attorney General. In his official remarks, Boudreaux made it clear that he does not endorse Harris for president—or any other political office—and condemned the ad for misrepresenting his stance. “In light of a recent political ad put out by Kamala Harris featuring Sheriff [Mike] Boudreaux, as well as other local law enforcement, my image is being used without my permission,” he said. “I do NOT endorse her candidacy for any political office.”
Allegations Against the Select Committee
The controversy deepens with additional allegations regarding the handling of data by the Select Committee on January 6. The committee, established by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is accused of deleting or password-protecting nearly two terabytes of data just days before the Republicans took over the House last year. According to a report by the New York Post, the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee discovered that during the transition to GOP control in January 2023, over 100 files were either encrypted or deleted from hard drives. These files were expected to be part of the archived records that the committee was required to deliver to Republican Chairman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia. Instead of the promised four terabytes, only two terabytes of data were provided.
Stefanik, the House GOP Conference Chairwoman, has sharply criticized the committee. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she stated:
“As I said from day one, Nancy Pelosi’s sham January 6th Committee was illegitimate and unconstitutional. It should come as no surprise that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney’s fake committee illegally deleted records of their sham investigation and obstructed justice. The American people deserve full transparency.”
Former Representative Liz Cheney (R–Wyo.) responded by linking to a statement Stefanik made on the day of the Capitol riot, and further criticized her remarks by claiming that Stefanik had “morphed into a total crackpot.”