FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 7, 2026
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ICYMI: VIVEK RAMASWAMY‘S BILLIONAIRE FUNDED PAC ADMITS TO LYING ABOUT DR. ACTON
“V-PAC spokesperson […] admitted Acton was never described as “incompetent” to the Ohio State Medical Board. “This was simply a typo that appeared on one piece of mail — our copy editor missed it.”
COLUMBUS, OH– Today, Popular Information released a report proving every claim on a recent mailer attacking Dr. Amy Acton from Billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s PAC to be “either flatly false or deeply misleading.” The mailer falsely claims that Acton “was called ‘incompetent’ to the Ohio State Medical Board,” which the reporting proves is “not true.” A V-PAC spokesperson “admitted Acton was never described as ‘incompetent’ to the Ohio State Medical Board,” saying “this was simply a typo that appeared on one piece of mail — our copy editor missed it.”
READ: The falsehoods billionaires are mailing to Ohio voters
- V-PAC is a super PAC supporting Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor in Ohio. Most of its $42 million war chest has come from a handful of billionaires, including Jeff Yass ($20 million), Ross Stevens ($6 million), Elon Musk ($5 million), Ratmir Timashev ($5 million), and Bill Ackman ($1 million).
- Popular Information obtained a V-PAC mailer attacking Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton from an Ohio voter.
- The anti-Acton mailer is a vivid illustration of why more journalistic scrutiny of political mail is necessary. Every claim on V-PAC’s mailer is either flatly false or deeply misleading.
- The lead claim of the flyer, which inexplicably includes the symbol of the communist party, is that Acton “was called ‘incompetent’ to the Ohio State Medical Board.” This is not true.
- To support its claim, V-PAC cites Acton’s 1994 “Application for Certificate – Medicine or Osteopathic Medicine” with the State Medical Board of Ohio. The application is a 23-page document, and at no point is Acton described as “incompetent.”
- On page 15, a doctor who supervised Acton for four months at the beginning of her pediatric residency in 1990 describes Acton’s medical knowledge at the time as “insufficient.” But on page 8, another doctor, who supervised Acton for a year later in her residency, described her medical knowledge as “excellent.”
- In response to a request for comment, V-PAC spokesperson Conor McGuinness admitted Acton was never described as “incompetent” to the Ohio State Medical Board. “This was simply a typo that appeared on one piece of mail — our copy editor missed it,” McGuinness said.
- A second major claim of the V-PAC flyer is that Acton is “TOO RADICAL.” The flyer claims Acton said that “illegals who took jobs from American workers have a right to be here,” citing Acton’s September 10, 2025, appearance on Better Bad Ideas w/ Sean O’Brien. This is also a lie. Acton never said that on the podcast.
- During the interview, Acton brings up Trump’s false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were “eating pets.” Acton noted Ohio’s Republican governor said this was a lie, adding that the Haitian immigrants with legal status are valued members of the community and are employed by local businesses.
- O’Brien diverts the conversation to a discussion of corporations that are profiting from employing “illegal immigrant workers” instead of Americans. Acton counters that the Haitian immigrants had legal status, stating that Ohio businesses were “benefiting [from] people who had a right to be here and were here.” She was distinguishing legal Haitian immigrants from undocumented (illegal) immigrants.
- McGuinness did not respond to a request for comment about this portion of the mailer.
- Finally, the V-PAC flyer warns that Acton is “UNHINGED.” The flyer says that Acton claimed “she was clean,” citing the same 1994 medical board application. On that application, she was asked, “Are you now or have you ever been, addicted to or excessively used alcohol, drugs, or other substances which may cause physical or psychological dependence, or impairment of the ability to practice?” Acton answered “NO.”
- In the flyer, V-PAC suggests Acton’s answer in her 1994 application was a lie because “the police were called to Amy Acton’s house by her daughter who told 9-1-1 Acton had been drinking and throwing things and breaking glass.” The incident occurred in 2019, 25 years after the medical board application was filed. The police who arrived found “no evidence of any physical violence” and that it was a “verbal dispute only” over Acton’s working hours.
- “Seven years ago, I had too much to drink while Amy only had one drink,” Acton’s husband, Eric, said in April. “I take responsibility for my actions that led to the police coming to our home, which was ultimately the result of a single fight between two people who love each other very much.” In TV ads, V-PAC has suggested, without evidence, that Acton is an alcoholic.
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