Court: Anti-Hillary Movie's a Political Ad

Moviemaker David Bossie, president of Citizens United, a right-wing advocacy group, in 2006. (The Washington Post).

By Matthew Mosk
A conservative political group cannot broadcast its anti-Hillary Clinton movie or advertise for the film without disclosing the names of its donors, a three-judge panel at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled today.

Citizens United, the group that produced "Hillary: The Movie," tried to convince the court that its sharply critical look at Sen. Hillary Clinton's career was a commercial enterprise and should not be subject to campaign finance laws. But the federal judges unanimously ruled that there was "no other interpretation" than to see the film as, in essence, a lengthy political advertisement. Its clear aim, the court found, was to tell voters that "Senator Clinton is unfit for office, that the United States would be a dangerous place with a President Hillary Clinton...and that viewers should vote against her."

David Bossie, who heads the group, said: "We expect to appeal. We read the ruling as an invitation to appeal to the Supreme Court as the three-judge panel felt constrained by conflicting Supreme Court precedent."

In the meantime, Citizens United has begun work on a film about Barack Obama.