Paul camp drops suit over anti-Huntsman YouT..

Politics • Attack labeled Huntsman a "Manchurian candidate."

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Washington • Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign has dropped a lawsuit against a YouTube user who posted an attack ad purporting to be from Paul and slamming former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman as a "Manchurian candidate."

In a court filing late last week, Paul's campaign asked a federal judge to dismiss the suit that was filed shortly after the YouTube video made headlines for what Paul and Huntsman described as an offensive clip. It included images of Huntsman, a former ambassador to China, with his two adopted daughters.

Chief Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James had twice rebuffed the Paul campaign's attempts to force YouTube to turn over the identity of the username NHLiberty4Paul, who posted the clip now viewed more than 330,000 times.

The judge said the campaign had not shown that it cannot ascertain the identity through other means and had failed to prove the video's poster was a real person who could be sued in federal court.

Paul's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the suit was pulled.

Paul's campaign manager, Jesse Benton, previously told The Salt Lake Tribune that the ad was "disgusting."

"Mr. Huntsman is a good family man just like Dr. Paul," Benton said. "Whoever put it up should remove it immediately."

Huntsman, who ended his GOP presidential campaign Jan. 16, called the ad "stupid" and decried its "sinister motives" in using pictures of his daughters. —

See the ad

To view the ad, go to http://tinyurl.com/6naqdtd

Paul camp drops suit over anti-Huntsman YouTube clip