In the age of no-holds-barred politics, few topics are too taboo to include in an attack ad. But find out an actress with one line in such an ad has a background in softcore porn? That's apparently a bridge too far.

That's the political calculus that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign performed when it pulled a recent ad called "Conservatives Anonymous," first reported by Buzzfeed. The ad, meant to mimic an Alcoholics Anonymous-type meeting, showed people in a circle lamenting how conservative politicians they'd voted for became more moderate in Washington D.C. 

Amy Lindsay was one of the actresses in the ad. A Texas native and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Lindsay's worked in softcore porn since at least 1997, according to her IMDB page. Her filmography includes appearances in Beverly Hills Bordello, Secrets of a Chambermaid, Insatiable Desires, The Sex Spa II: Body Work and Co-Ed Confidential.

A Cruz campaign official said he was unaware of Lindsay's previous work. When asked about pulling the ad, here's how Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler responded to Buzzfeed:



“The actress responded to an open casting call. She passed her audition and got the job. Unfortunately, she was not vetted by the production company. Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad.” 

Lindsay is predictably peeved about the decision, according to her recent tweets:


But Lindsay hasn't only acted in features for the late-night Cinemax set. Her credits also include appearances in the 2014 film Camp Takota and Star Trek: Voyager. 

Watch the full ad here.