Right-wing commentator Keith Ablow is a disgraced psychiatrist who no longer practices medicine in Massachusetts after its medical board concluded that he “poses an immediate and serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare.” Ablow has been working for the American Liberty Fund, a super PAC that has been doing independent expenditures to support Republican candidates like Byron Donalds, Dan Rodimer, and Maria Elvira Salazar.
Ablow is a former Fox News contributor who was part of the network’s supposed “medical A-team.” He frequently gave false and dangerous medical misinformation to network viewers, especially regarding LGBTQ issues. He also spent years pushing toxic rhetoric, including claiming that then-President Obama was welcoming Ebola to the United States because his “affinities, his affiliations are with” Africa and “not us." He left the network in 2017.
The Boston Globe reported in February 2019 that Ablow was “facing lawsuits from three female patients who say he lured them into degrading sexual relationships, including beatings, conversations about bondage, and, in one case, getting a tattoo of the doctor’s initials to show his ‘ownership’ of her, according to court documents.” Those lawsuits were later settled out of court.
In May 2019, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine suspended his license because he “poses an immediate and serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare.” The organization wrote in a press release:
In February of this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided Ablow’s office as part of an “ongoing investigation.” His license status in Massachusetts is currently listed as “terminated” while his license status in New York is listed as “inactive.”
The American Liberty Fund is a right-wing super PAC that supports Republican candidates, including through advertising on Facebook. Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) is its chairman.
American Liberty Fund has been doing independent expenditures in support of numerous Republicans, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data accessed through ProPublica’s FEC Itemizer. Those candidates include:
- Colorado congressional candidate Lauren Boebert
- Maine congressional candidate Dale Crafts
- Florida congressional candidate Byron Donalds
- Ohio congressional candidate Christina Hagan
- Illinois congressional candidate Esther Joy King
- Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer
- Nevada congressional candidate Dan Rodimer
- Florida congressional candidate Maria Elvira Salazar
- Arizona congressional candidate Tiffany Shedd
(Loomer is a right-wing conspiracy theorist who has made numerous bigoted remarks, while Boebert previously expressed support for QAnon and participated in a rally with a far-right militia.)
The FEC defines independent expenditures as “an expenditure for a communication, such as a website, newspaper, TV or direct mail advertisement that: expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate; and is not made in consultation or cooperation with, or at the request or suggestion of any candidate, or his or her authorized committees or agents, or a political party committee or its agents.”
The American Liberty Fund has paid Ablow’s company Keith Ablow Creative $3,000 so far for work on “creative services,” “creative services scripts,” and “political ad scripts.” The group specifically listed work that relates to independent expenditures in support of Byron Donalds; Laura Loomer; Dan Rodimer; and Maria Elvira Salazar.
On August 14, the American Liberty Fund sent a fundraising email from Ablow that identified him as belonging to the organization. The email asked for donations to the group so it could help elect “conservative Republicans who will actually fight for a change... conservatives like Bryon Donalds, who will come out swinging in Washington.” Ablow’s email linked to a donation page for the organization.
The American Liberty Fund did not respond to a request for comment.
