The United States Capitol Building
PHILADELPHIA – A Democrat candidate for Congress has filed a defamation lawsuit in Pennsylvania, alleging a conservative group has misled voters into thinking he has been under FBI investigation for corruption.
Bob Harvie, currently the vice chair of the Board of Bucks County Commissioners and the Democratic Party’s hope for unseating incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in November, sued Defending America PAC last week over claims made on the site fireharvie.com.
He is repeatedly called an FBI corruption subject on the website, which includes a page in response to the lawsuit.
“This is not a mere political attack in a hotly contested campaign,” the lawsuit says. “Contrary to the meaning that out-of-state political operatives have endeavored to convey – to convince Harvie’s community that Harvie is somehow connected to a crime – Harvie is not now and never has been the target of any criminal investigation nor has he ever been charged with a crime.”
It stems from Harvie being called as a witness before a federal grand jury in 2021. The probe - which reportedly involved questions about the Pennsbury School District, political donations and contractors, among other things, when Harvie was a Falls Township supervisor – led to no criminal charges.
Harvie says he participated as a witness and not as a “subject” of the investigation. In July, he sent a cease-and-desist letter to Defending America, which started preparing for a subsequent defamation case that has now been filed.
Harvie has been through this once, when he was running for reelection as Bucks County Commissioner. Political opponents said he was “wrapped up in an FBI investigation” in a mailer criticized by Republican candidates.
Defending America has not backed down from its claims, calling for Harvie to release his testimony and other information. And it has offered to pay the costs of Harvie’s case.
The PAC has received close to $900,000 for this election cycle, much of it from labor unions. It has posted a screenshot of a social media post claiming Harvie cheated on his wife with a Bucks County employee, something Harvie denies.
“These statements harm Harvie’s reputation, expose him to public contempt and ridicule, discourage others from associating with him, and tend to lower him in the estimation of the community,” his lawsuit says.
Timothy Ford of Dilworth Paxson in Philadelphia represents Harvie.
