Smirnoff Vodka mocks President Trump with new ad

Smirnoff Vodka has used its latest advertising campaign to mock US President Donald Trump and his alleged links with Russia.

The ad, which has run on billboards across America, reads: “Made in America, but we’d be happy to talk about our ties to Russia under oath.”

Smirnoff’s dig at the Potus comes as a special committee and the FBI continues its investigation into the Donald Trump campaign’s connections with Russia, following the sacking of FBI director James Comey.

The President has been accused of obstructing justice by allegedly pressuring Comey to stop the Bureau’s investigation into communications between key Trump aides and Russian intelligence officials. Last week Comey testified that Trump asked him to pledge loyalty and to drop his investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn over Russian ties, a version of events that the president denies.

Trump recently told reporters he would testify under oath about a special prosecutor’s probe into accusations that Russian officials meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump win, but is yet to follow through with this pledge.

Smirnoff Vodka is owned by British drinks giant Diageo and was founded in the 1860s in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov, with the spirits becoming the Tsar’s vodka supplier in 1886.

With the Communist Revolution of 1917, Smirnov’s family fled Russia to Europe, with the spelling of their name, and the brand, shifting to the “Smirnoff.” The company changed hands several times before becoming part of the Connecticut-based spirit company Heublein.

It eventually became part of Diageo in 1997 following the merger of Guinness and food-and-beverage conglomerate Grand Metropolitan.

As a result, much of the vodka sold in the US is made domestically, the majority at a massive Diageo facility in Plainfield, Illinois, USA.

The advert has been widely praised on social media, with users applauding Smirnoff for its political potshot at the President.

Well done Smirnoff… #likeaboss #ad pic.twitter.com/kb0r87Ctzg

— Christoph Voellmy (@voellmy42) June 13, 2017

Was there this much sarcasm during the cold war too? pic.twitter.com/UPG2H00wuW

— John McCarthy (@JohnGeeMcCarthy) June 12, 2017

Scoot over Kettle One, Smirnoff is in the house! @SmirnoffUS My next vodka purchase will be #Smirnoff; love the humor. https://t.co/23yER4vAh4

— Ann Marie McCann (@AnnMarieVMcCann) June 13, 2017