It’s possibly one of the most duplicitous political commercials in recent memory, critics say. Republicans are running an attack ad against the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, blaming him for the release of a murder suspect in South Carolina. The ad targets former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, except almost everything in it is false. It centers on the father of a North Carolina college student whom a South Carolina man allegedly murdered after his release from prison. The suspect had a lengthy criminal history that included dozens of offenses in South Carolina. Roy Cooper, former governor of North Carolina and Democratic US Senate candidate for North Carolina. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images) Yet the Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee that paid for the ad, continued the false narrative by posting the spot on X on Wednesday. ‘Babbling Idiot’: Trump Thinks He Has Tech Bros Eating Out of His Hand With ‘Genius’ Joke —But His Big Moment Quickly Turns into a Flop of Gold The group captioned the commercial, “NEW AD: @RoyCooperNC’s reckless policies and decision to release 3,500 violent criminals put every family in North Carolina at risk. Stephen’s daughter Logan was a casualty of an agenda.” NEW AD: @RoyCooperNC’s reckless policies and decision to release 3,500 violent criminals put every family in North Carolina at risk.Stephen’s daughter Logan was a casualty of an agenda. pic.twitter.com/yPTAhaBImp— Senate Leadership Fund (@Senate_Fund) August 19, 2026 Mediate reports the PAC supports Republican North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley and other GOP candidates. Whatley is the former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party and RNC, according to the outlet. The ad uses footage from Charlotte TV station WCNC, which covered the May 2025 murder of 22-year-old Logan Federico in Lexington County, South Carolina, where she was visiting friends. Police say 30-year-old Alexander Dickey killed Federico during a home invasion. In the commercial, her father, Stephen Federico, explains what happened to his daughter. He tells the camera, “Logan was a casualty of an agenda.” Then proceeds to blame Cooper. “Roy Cooper let 3,500 criminals out on the street; 18 of them were murderers. Forty years of Roy Cooper is enough,” Federico laments. The ad falsely portrays Cooper as directly responsible for Dickey’s release — even though Dickey was released in South Carolina under the administration of Republican Governor Henry McMaster. While Cooper did oversee inmate releases in his own state, those actions were driven by a court mandate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a superior court judge ordered the release of 3,500 non-violent prisoners in order to protect the 32,000 people incarcerated in North Carolina, according to the ACLU. That’s a far cry from releasing violent criminals and killers. Social media erupted accusing the GOP of a false narrative and lying to voters. “GOP is really f—ed in the head,” an angry X user proclaimed. Another commenter wondered if the GOP simply doesn’t know the difference between North and South Carolina. “You idiots. SOUTH Carolina is not the same state as North Carolina.” This X poster bluntly called out Republicans. “Straight up lie. Didn’t happen in NC. I know we’re in an era of pure shamelessness, but it’s still worth noting how ashamed of yourselves you should be Another commenter agreed, “A bunch of lies in this ad. @RoyCooperNC should sue you fools for slander.” Whatley has continued with the false story on the campaign trail, using Logan Federico’s father to continue the disingenuous story that Cooper is behind the release of his daughter’s killer. ‘Straight Up Lie’: GOP’s Gut-Wrenching Attack Ad on Democrat Goes Viral, Until Someone Points Out the One Thing That Doesn’t Add Up ...read more read less