BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In recent years, Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) has come under fire for making disparaging comments about constituents and bizarre threats on her personal Facebook page.
Now, it seems her latest ad has taken a page out of Herschel Walker’s playbook.
The ad — from House Majority Forward PAC — features a man identified as “Officer Jeff Potts” discussing the fentanyl crisis and U.S.-Mexico border security.
Dressed in his badge and uniform, Officer Potts concludes that “Susan Wild has our back.”
There are just a few problems: Potts is not a police officer and his badge is illegitimate — just like the one infamously flashed by the Georgia Bulldogs football legend during a 2022 Senate debate.
A police union leader in Wild’s district told The Post that Potts’ status as an “auxiliary officer” means he has limited policing authority and no arrest powers.
“The only authority he has is to check permits at pavilions to make sure people are at a proper pavilion and they’re authorized to be there,” said Gene Hatcher, President of the Fraternal Order of Police’s Le-Hampton Lodge 35 — which is named for Lehigh and Northampton counties in the eastern Pennsylvania region it covers.
The official website of Emmaus — a Lehigh County borough of 11,000 people adjacent to the city of Allentown — says auxiliary officers serve to “aid and supplement” the police department, such as by providing security at athletic events and working as crossing guards.
Lehigh County documents show Potts earned $17.95 hourly as an auxiliary officer while working in an unspecified year under Emmaus Police Chief Charles Palmer, who retired in 2021.
Potts is not listed as an employee in Emmaus’ current staff directory.
“That shirt that he’s wearing in the ad was not issued by Emmaus to him, nor was the badge,” Hatcher told The Post. “So he went out and got those on his own.”
The badge worn by Potts in the ad is available for $4.19 on Galls.com, an online retailer that sells equipment for first responders.
Start and end your day informed with our newsletters
Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today’s top stories
Thanks for signing up!
“He puts on something that says ‘police officer’ and he’s not,” Hatcher said. “That’s impersonating a police officer in my opinion and the DA should investigate it.”
“To me, it’s stolen valor,” Hatcher said. “He’s acting like he’s out there doing drug raids and fighting bad guys, and he has never done that in his life.”
“In my opinion, it’s just another Democratic ploy,” Hatcher added, echoing criticisms of Tim Walz for embellishing his military record. “Stolen valor, and it’s just deceptive.”
Hatcher noted that Wild — who is running a competitive race against Republican Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district — has not received the endorsement of his organization or other police groups in the area.
“No one around here has endorsed Susan Wild,” Hatcher told The Post. “This is why she chose this deceptive tactic.”
“…In fact, she is so aware of that, she won’t even contact us for an endorsement.”
