Anti-Trump group TV commercial blowing up Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was pulled ahead of UT-Rice football game

A national television ad denouncing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic that was scheduled to air during the University of Texas football game against Rice University on Saturday was withdrawn minutes before the competition began, according to the group who produced the TV spot.

Members of the Lincoln Project, a group of former and current Republican Party members who resist the policies of former President Donald Trump, ask why the publicity they produced and paid for didn’t not aired. The $ 25,000 spot has been approved by ESPN’s legal department, a Lincoln Project spokesperson said.

“Despite authorization from ESPN’s legal department, 10 minutes before kick-off, we were told the announcement would not be released,” according to a statement from the Lincoln Project. “When asked why, we were told it was a ‘decision made by the university’. Did Greg Abbott or his allies assert political influence to ensure the ad did not run? “

A spokesperson for Abbott said the governor had nothing to do with removing the ad.

University of Texas officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Abbott is a graduate of the University of Texas. He appoints the members of the school board of directors.

“Again, instead of focusing on the task of protecting Texans from the coronavirus pandemic, it appears they focused their time and energy on censoring those who would hold him responsible for his failures,” indicates the press release. “Indeed, several sources in Texas have informed us of the political panic within the governor’s office and the campaign organization.”

The TV ad, titled “Abbott’s Wall,” claims that if you made a wall from the coffins of Texans who died from COVID-19, it would stretch from Austin to San Antonio. The ad features a gritty Texas landscape with captions that reveal appalling coronavirus statistics. The ad says 3.8 million Texans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Of this total, 60,475 people died. According to the announcement, these deaths have led to more than 60,000 burials, with 85 miles of wood used to make coffins.

The governor has banned mask warrants, even though some school districts and local jurisdictions want them to protect students and teachers from the virus.

“If Governor Abbott wants to build a new wall, tell him to stop building this one,” the silent ad states, using captions instead of a narrator.

According to the statement, the group will investigate why the ad was not released.

“We will not be discouraged by Governor Abbott’s radicalism in favor of his own political outlook and his re-election campaign,” the statement said. “We’re not done with Governor Abbott.”