The Senate’s top Republican sponsor of a bill targeting the credit card industry recorded a radio advertisement paid for by the Merchants Payments Coalition, a retail industry advocacy organization.
In an ad recorded for and run on former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson’s The Tucker Podcast, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) calls on Americans to “call your senator today and demand they pass the Credit Card Competition Act.”
That bill — supported by retailers, opposed by banks and co-sponsored with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) — would require card companies to allow retailers another choice of payment network in credit card transactions besides Visa and Mastercard.
“Every time you use your credit card, they charge you a hidden fee called a swipe fee, and they’ve been raising it without even telling you,” Marshall says. “This hurts consumers and every small business owner.”
It’s unusual for a senator to cut an ad paid for by an advocacy group — even if it’s about their bill. We don’t think there’s anything technically wrong with doing so. We checked in with multiple people familiar with the process surrounding the ad, and they said Marshall was not paid for his appearance.
But there is something a little funny about that senator asking the public to call his colleagues to support some legislation. We asked Marshall about the advertisement Wednesday afternoon, and the Kansas Republican referred us to his office.
“I’m not sure what ads you’re talking about,” Marshall said. “I’m not paying for them or anything.”
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— Brendan Pedersen and John Bresnahan
