Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT), is a political group (527 group) of American Swift boat veterans and former prisoners of war of the Vietnam War, formed during the 2004 presidential election campaign for the purpose of opposing John Kerry's candidacy for the presidency. The group criticized Kerry's actions during and shortly after his military service. During the 2004 race, the group's ads were criticized as distortions of Kerry's military record; the group was also criticized because of the connections of some of its representatives and major donors to the Republican Party and the 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.