The O’Jays – famed American R&B group – issued Congressman John Mica a cease and desist letter for appropriating their hit song “For the Love of Money” in a pro-Trump video on his official government YouTube page. In a statement, the O’Jays wrote, “Your use of our clients’ signature song, and utilizing the original recording constitutes a patently false implication that Mr. Levert and Mr. Williams have endorsed you or your political agenda or Mr. Trump’s agenda…”
In addition to his extreme voting record, John Mica enthusiastically endorsed Donald Trump’s offensive campaign and cheered Trump’s immigration stances, which include building a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Mica has also made racially offensive and misogynist statements long before Donald Trump became the Republican Party’s leader. He compared welfare to feeding alligators, wrote a letter to President Obama saying he should meet with “thugs” in urban cities, and misused the Bible as evidence to oppose a bill to protect women from marital rape. It comes as no surprise that the O’Jays want to disassociate their music from Congressman John Mica.
Numerous outlets are picking up on this story.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
The O’Jays Ask Republican Congressman to Stop Using Their Music – Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The founding members of the O’Jays are asking a Republican to stop using their music for the second time in a week.
In a statement released Wednesday, Eddie Levert and Walter Williams said they sent a letter to Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, asking him to stop using their song “For The Love Of Money” in an online video featuring Donald Trump posted in 2014 .
The R&B group previously decried Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for using their song “Love Train” during last week’s Republican National Convention, including a version remixed as “Trump Train” without the O’Jays’ consent.
“Trump and his people have no right to help themselves to our music,” Levert said. “He presents himself as supporting ‘law and order’ but, in truth, he’s not respecting the law at all.”
The O’Jays’ song “For the Love of Money” served as the theme song for Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice.”
A Trump campaign spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.