In Jaw-Dropping Report, Mandel “Doubles Down” On Previously Debunked False Claims; Promises To Repeat Lies “Again And Again“
COLUMBUS, OHIO – This weekend, after receiving yet another “Pants on Fire” rating from Politifact Ohio for the “dead wrong” assertion that Sen. Sherrod Brown is responsible for Ohio jobs that have gone to China, Josh Mandel doubled down on his right to proudly spew misinformation to Ohio voters, shockingly declaring that he would repeat his previously debunked false claims “again and again.”
That’s right — Josh Mandel doesn’t care if he’s lying.
From The Plain Dealer:
“Others back down or soften their rhetoric once their statements have been publicly scrutinized, but Mandel doubles down. Consider his response in an interview last week when asked again to identify a single Ohio job that went to China because of a decisive vote by Brown.”
“‘If that’s the level of specificity you’re looking for, you’re the reporters — you go do the grunt work,’ said Mandel, who lives in Beachwood.
“…PolitiFact Ohio already had done the ‘grunt work’ and found that the examples cited by Mandel’s campaign failed to back up his claim, hence the Pants on Fire rating. Right or wrong, Mandel vowed to repeat the assertion ‘again and again’ and said he sees no downside.
The Washington Post said Mandel was creating “new frontiers in political dishonesty”:
“Indeed, in forthrightly admitting that he won’t be substantiating his claims because there’s no downside in repeating a debunked assertion again and again, Mandel for once deserves points for honesty.”
Josh Mandel will continue parroting outright lies against Sen. Brown because a look at his own record shows him to be just another politician who isn’t on the side of middle class Ohioans and cares more about running for office than creating jobs.
1. Mandel’s not on the side of middle class Ohioans and can’t be trusted to create jobs.
- He would have voted to let the auto industry die, putting nearly 850,000 Ohio jobs related to the industry in jeopardy.
- He embraced Issue 2, Governor Kasich’s brutal assault on public workers’ rights to collectively bargain.
- And to this day, he refuses to support Sen. Brown’s bipartisan bill cracking down on China’s unfair currency manipulation, a practice that hurts our middle class and costs Ohio jobs.
2. He won’t protect Medicare and Social Security.
- Mandel has joined the far-right wing of the Republican Party, pledging support for a Tea Party budget proposal that “would inexorably subject Social Security and Medicare to deep reductions.”
3. He has completely ignored his job on behalf of taxpayers.
- Josh made history as the first “modern-era” treasurer to skip his first 14 meetings of the billion-dollar Board of Deposit he is supposed to chair.
- Only after being caught red-handed in the Bahamas raising money from payday lenders did he show up for his first Board of Deposit meeting.
- He allowed banks to commit alleged fraud against taxpayers and retirees for more than a year before taking action.
“Determined to distract from his anti-middle class agenda and record of failure in the Treasurer’s office that stems from ignoring his job, Josh Mandel has embraced a campaign strategy of peddling falsehoods and outright lies even after they’ve been debunked by nonpartisan fact check organizations,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Andrew Zucker. “Josh’s promise to repeat these debunked lies ‘again and again’ in an effort to avoid explaining his opposition to the auto rescue, support for making devastating cuts to Medicare and Social Security and refusal to embrace efforts to crack down on China’s illegal currency manipulation is clear evidence that Mandel’s respect for Ohio voters goes no further than the ballot box.”
BACKGROUND
Mandel Has Repeatedly Been Called Out For “Hurling Wild Charges,” and “Misleading” and “Ridiculous” Claims. In a December 2011 editorial, the Akron Beacon Journal wrote “Mandel has been hurling wild charges.” Politifact has twice given Mandel a “Pants of Fire” rating labeling Mandel’s statements as “ridiculous” in December 2011 and in November 2011. And on the front page of the Plain Dealer on December 8, 2011, the Plain Dealer noted that Mandel would raise “eyebrows with statements often found to be far from truthful.” [Akron Beacon Journal, 12/7/11; Politifact, 11/14/11, 12/7/11; Plain Dealer via Politico, 12/8/11]
Almost 850,000 Jobs In Ohio Are Supported By The Auto Industry. According to the Center for Automotive Research, there are 848,304 jobs in Ohio supported by the auto industry. [Center for Automotive Research - Industry Contribution Report, April 2010, pg. 48]
Mandel Said He Was Developing A Plan To Save The Auto Rescue. The Youngstown Vindicator reported “Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said he is developing a plan to ‘rescue the auto industry.’” [Youngstown Vindicator, 3/2/12]
- Mandel: “I’m Not Saying The Bailout Didn’t Work.” The Youngstown Vindicator reported “‘I’m not saying the bailout didn’t work,’ Mandel said.” [Youngstown Vindicator, 3/2/12]
- Next Sentence: Mandel Disagreed That Auto Rescue Save The Auto Industry. The Youngstown Vindicator reported “But Mandel said he ‘respectfully disagreed’ that it saved the American auto industry.” [Youngstown Vindicator, 3/2/12]
Mandel Supported SB 5. In May 2011, the Dayton Daily News reported “Mandel, a former city councilman, said he supports Senate Bill 5 but has not taken a position on Ryan’s Medicare plan.” [Dayton Daily News, 5/25/11]
Josh Mandel Has Signed the Cut Cap and Balance Pledge [Cut Cap Balance Act.com Senate signers, accessed 11/09/2011]
Center On Budget And Policy Priorities: Cut, Cap And Balance “Would Inexorably Subject Social Security And Medicare To Deep Reductions.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, proponents of Cut, Cap and Balance “seek to foster an impression that the measure would protect Social Security and Medicare. Such an impression would not be accurate. The legislation would inexorably subject Social Security and Medicare to deep reductions.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11]
Mandel Signed Cut, Cap, and Kill Medicare Pledge Which Will Force Deep Cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Mandel signed a radical Cut, Cap, and Kill Medicare budget pledge. “The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities noted that budget proposal for force deep cuts to both Medicare and Social Security. CBPP wrote “It is inconceivable, however, that policymakers would meet the bill’s severe annual spending caps through automatic across-the-board cuts year after year; if they did, key government functions would be crippled. Policymakers would have little alternative but to institute deep cuts in specific programs.” [Cut Cap Balance Act.comsigners, accessed 7/19/2011; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11]
Mandel Silent On Sen. Brown’s China Currency Bill For Manufacturers – Spokesman Said Mandel Wouldn’t Be Commenting On Issues Before The Senate. In December 2011, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported “Mandel also would not give his opinion on a foreign trade bill promoted by Brown and supported by small Ohio manufacturers as well as Portman, a former White House trade ambassador. Brown’s bill would authorize economic sanctions against China if authorities found China manipulated its currency, providing its exports with an unfair pricing advantage. Some conservatives say punitive tariffs might start a trade war. Asked about these issues, Mandel spokesman Joe Aquilino said that the candidate is not a Washington politician and, ‘consequently, for the next year we’re not going to pretend like he’s there and voting on every bill that’s introduced or that’s on the floor.’” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/24/11]
June 2010: Mandel Accused State Treasurer Campaign Opponent Boyce Of “Cronyism And Corruption” For Giving A Low-Bid Contract To State Street Bank When Boyce’s COS’s Friend Was Hired As A Lobbyist. In June 2010, the Columbus Dispatch reported, “Mandel has accused Boyce of ‘cronyism and corruption’ because he awarded a low-bid state investment contract to a Boston firm whose lobbyist is a friend of Amer Ahmad, deputy treasurer and chief financial officer in Boyce’s office. Noure Alo, a Columbus attorney specializing in immigration, was hired as a lobbyist by State Street Corp. about a week after the firm submitted what was later determined to be the winning bid for a state contract to invest $32 million in Ohio pension funds. State Street is under investigation in California for possible fraud involving $56 million in state pension funds there. The California state treasurer calls the company ‘crooks.’” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/17/2010]
August 2010: Mandel Criticized Opponent Boyce For Investing With State Street Bank. In August 2010, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that during the campaign for Ohio state Treasurer, “Mandel blasted [opponent Kevin Boyce] for investing with State Street Bank, which is being sued in California for allegedly charging that state’s pension funds too much in fees. Boyce said few banks can handle the state’s global assets and finding one that hasn’t been sued by someone for something would be nearly impossible.” [Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/31/2010]
June 2011: Mandel Sent Letter To Attorney General Asking For An Investigation. In June 2011, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported “Ohio state Treasurer JoshMandel sent a letter last Tuesday, June 14, to state Attorney General Mike DeWine requesting a full investigation into foreign currency exchange practices of the custodial banks for the state’s employee pension funds and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.” [Crain’s Cleveland Business, 6/20/11]
March 2012: Mandel Announces JP Morgan Chase And CitiBank Will Oversee Over $41 Billion In Pension Assets. The Dayton Daily News reported “Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel will give custodial contracts to JP Morgan and CitiBank to oversee $41.3 billion in international assets held by the state’s four largest public pension systems and will sever ties with the two banks that were awarded the work in 2010.” [Dayton Daily News, 3/19/12]
Friday, March 9th: Josh Mandel Flew To The Bahamas For A Fundraiser. In March 2012, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported “Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, already criticized by Democrats for missing official state meetings, flew to the Bahamas last Friday to give a speech to the payday lending industry, The Plain Dealer has confirmed. Mandel held a fund-raiser for his U.S. Senate election campaign while at the Bahamas resort, a spokesman acknowledged when the newspaper asked.” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 03/13/12]
Mandel “Began Traveling Widely To Raise Money” Just Months After Being Sworn In As Treasurer. In March 2012, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported “Months after taking his seat as Ohio’s treasurer in January 2011, he began traveling widely to raise money — $5.8 million so far, records show — for his Senate campaign. He is expected to have one of the deepest campaign chests of any Senate challenger this year.” [Cleveland Plain Dealer,03/13/12]
Mandel Missed His 14th Consecutive State Board Of Deposit Meeting, And He’s Just Fine With That. In February 2012, The Columbus Dispatch reported “State Treasurer Josh Mandel missed his 14th consecutive Ohio Board of Deposit meeting yesterday — and he’s just fine with that. Mandel has skipped every monthly meeting of the board, of which he is chairman, since becoming treasurer in January last year. Instead, as in the past, he sent a designee, Seth Metcalf, the agency’s chief financial officer.” [Columbus Dispatch, 02/24/12]
Mandel Scheduled A Fundraiser In D.C. For Two Hours Before A State Board Of Deposit Meeting In Columbus. In January 2012, Politico reported that they had “obtained an invitation for a D.C. fundraiser on behalf of Mandel set for Thursday morning – just two hours before the next scheduled board of deposit meeting in Columbus.” [Politico.com, 01/25/12]
Headline: Josh Mandel, Ohio Treasurer And Senate Candidate, Skipped Board Meetings For No Known Reason. [Huffington Post, 02/24/12]
Mandel’s Schedule Barely Acknowledged Board of Deposit Responsibilities. In February 2012, The Huffington Post reported “Josh Mandel, the Republican Ohio treasurer looking to move up to the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, appears to have skipped meetings of the state Board of Deposit for mysterious reasons.” Huffington Post continued, “According to the records, Mandel had nothing on his schedule on five different occasions when the board met. On two other occasions, Mandel blocked out time for the meeting, but a Democratic source said that the board’s minutes show Mandel did not attend. On four other days, Mandel’s schedule says he met with staffers at the time of the board meeting, but the staffers actually were at the meetings, not with Mandel, according to the minutes. One time Mandel did a radio interview instead of attending the board meeting, and last month he went to a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., instead of presiding over the meeting. This past Thursday, he did not attend for unknown reasons, but traveled to another part of the state later in the day to meet with business leaders, according to the Columbus Dispatch.” [Huffington Post, 02/24/12]