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Heartland Signal: Bernie Moreno Closed Down Local Roads To Test Drive $3.4M Imported Car

Columbus, OH – After reporting found that car salesman Bernie Moreno never reimbursed the North Olmsted Police Department for a joyride in his $3.4 million Aston Martin, video surfaced of Moreno wasting taxpayer dollars to drive his supercar on closed public roads.

Watch the video here and read more from Heartland Signal below.

Heartland Signal: Report: Bernie Moreno closed down local roads to test drive $3.4M imported car
Richard Eberwein
May 6, 2024

• In 2015, Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno used taxpayer dollars to shut down local roads so he could take a joy ride in an Aston Martin car that he purchased for $2.3 million.

• Mother Jones’ Abby Vesoulis first reported on the incident last Friday. Video from Cleveland.com shows at least three police cars blocking traffic in the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted so Moreno could privately use the roads in his luxury Aston Martin Vulcan, which his dealership would later list for $3.4 million.

• In a separate video from 2016, Moreno admits that he had the vehicle shipped to the United States in parts to avoid Environmental Protection Agency emissions restrictions on foreign vehicle imports. Moreno also japed, “Nobody’s here is from the EPA, right?

• Prior to his recent political career, Moreno owned a chain of car dealerships in the Midwest before he began selling them off in 2019. According to recent candidate filing reports, Moreno’s net worth ranges anywhere from $25.5-105.7 million.

SEE ALSO: NEW: Bernie Moreno Used Taxpayer Dollars For Joyride In $3.4 Million Aston Martin And Failed To Reimburse North Olmsted Police Department

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Columbus, OH – There are six months until the #OHSEN general election and Ohioans are learning that they “can’t trust Bernie Moreno” as he makes it clear he only looks out for himself and will not fight for Ohioans.

Six Things Ohioans Need To Know About Bernie Moreno:

1. Moreno is facing scrutiny for the “dubious claims” and “string of inconsistencies that have dogged his campaign” as lie after lie is exposed. Moreno is refusing to answer questions about lying about selling Chinese-made cars and contributing to Ohio jobs being “shipped overseas,” lying about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, lying about “escap[ing]” socialism, and lying about his business origin story.

2. Moreno refused to pay his workers the overtime they earned, then deliberately destroyed evidence he was legally required to keep to get out of it. Moreno was found liable for wage theft by a jury – forcing Moreno to pay over $400,000 in damages to his employees and settle over a dozen similar wage theft cases. After he got caught, Moreno repeatedly lied about the case and multiple fact-checks found his excuses “false.”

3. Moreno would vote for a national abortion ban without exceptions that would overturn the will of Ohioans. Moreno has said he is “100% pro-life with no exceptions” and that he is “absolute pro-life, no exceptions.” On top of Moreno’s “well-documented” and repeated support for a national abortion ban, he said women don’t need access to abortion, just someone to lift heavy things such as strollers for them.

4. Moreno is not the outsider he claims to be. Moreno exploited his “inside” political connections, hefty campaign contributions, and public board appointments for years to steer government contracts and taxpayer dollars toward his businesses – leading Moreno to ultimately cash out for “at least $5 million.” 

5. Moreno opposed the bipartisan border security bill – which was backed by border patrol agents – and said he “would have opposed” the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which will help curb the flow of fentanyl across the southern border by cracking down on the chemical suppliers in China and drug traffickers in Mexico. 

6. Moreno is out for himself, not Ohioans. When asked how he would work across the aisle to deliver for Ohioans, Moreno said he “reject[ed]” the question. In response, Moreno was slammed for having “no real interest” in advocating for Ohioans and being “intent on adding to [the] problem” in Washington.

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Columbus, OH – For weeks, Bernie Moreno has refused to answer the “questions about his biography and business background” that are piling up as reporting has revealed more and more of Moreno’s “dubious claims.”

Questions Moreno must answer about the lies “dogg[ing] his campaign” and new reports that show he only looks out for himself:

1. Why are you lying to Ohio workers by claiming you never sold Chinese-made SUVs? Will you apologize to Ohio workers who have criticized you for contributing to their jobs being “shipped overseas” and “hurt[ing] Mahoning Valley workers and families?”

2. Why are you lying about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute?

3. Why are you lying about escaping socialism?

4. Why did you claim you “didn’t take handouts” when reporting shows you got your dealership at a steep discount? Will you make documents around your 2005 insider deal available?

5. Will you reimburse the North Olmsted Police Department for the police escort you received to take a joyride in your $3.4 million Aston Martin on the taxpayer’s dime? Why did you lie about the circumstances of the car’s import?

6. Why are you using your rich donors to pay yourself back after loaning millions of dollars to your campaign?

SEE ALSO: New AP Report Finds Moreno’s Using Rich Donors To Pay Himself; NEW: Bernie Moreno Used Taxpayer Dollars For Joyride In $3.4 Million Aston Martin And Failed To Reimburse North Olmsted Police Department; Bernie Moreno “Sold Out American Workers” With “Serious Lie” About Selling Chinese-Made Cars; ICYMI: Labor Leaders Hit GOP Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Over China-Made Vehicle Sales [Toledo Blade]; Ohio Workers Slam Moreno For Killing Ohio Jobs After Reporting Revealed He Lied About Selling Chinese-Made Cars; Bernie Moreno Again Caught Lying, This Time About Selling Chinese-Made Buick Envision; NEW: Moreno Lying About Getting Rid of Confucius Institute; NEW: Bernie Moreno Caught Lying About “Escaping” Socialism; Questions Bernie Moreno Must Answer After New Report Exposes He’s Been Lying About How He Started His First Dealership

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Columbus, OH – According to new reporting from the Associated Press, car salesman Bernie Moreno is using his rich donors to pay himself back after loaning millions of dollars to his campaign. Though Moreno is allegedly able to self-fund his campaign through his personal fortune, the Associated Press highlights “money isn’t enough” to overcome the reality that he is an “untested” candidate who “might not be prepared for the scrutiny” his baggage brings. 

Associated Press: Money isn’t enough to smooth the path for Republican candidates hoping to retake the Senate
Tom Beaumont and Brian Slodysko
May 6, 2024

• Frustrated by the seemingly endless cash flowing to Democrats, Republicans aiming to retake the Senate have rallied around candidates with plenty of their own money…But it also risks elevating untested candidates who might not be prepared for the scrutiny often associated with fiercely contested Senate campaigns.

• In Ohio, meanwhile, anxiety about Bernie Moreno was building among Republicans well before he won the party’s Senate nomination last month.

• Moreno, a former car dealership owner, had a net worth as high as $168 million last year…That’s what made the language in an invitation to a recent high-dollar fundraiser in Cleveland all the more notable.

• The invitation, obtained by the AP, stated that the first $3,300 of each contribution would be used for “debt retirement, until such debt is extinguished,” and before raising money for his general election contest.

• It’s common for candidates who emerge from competitive primaries, as Moreno did March 19, to ask donors to help pay off debt. What’s unusual in Moreno’s case is that he is the only person identified on his most recent campaign finance disclosure who would benefit from retiring the campaign’s debt.

• The records show he lent his campaign $4.5 million in personal and bank loans, which means that the bank would also benefit by receiving interest payments. But no other debts are listed on the document.

• Ozzie Palomo, a Connecticut-based Republican fundraiser who was part of former 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s finance committee, called the priority of retiring debt “a bit of an unorthodox approach” that could be a turn-off for donors.

• “You invest in a campaign in hopes of them winning,” Palomo said. “Not in hopes of paying off someone else’s debt.”

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Columbus, OH – It’s been another bad week for Ohio Senate candidate and car salesman Bernie Moreno. New reporting out today found that Moreno used a taxpayer-funded police escort to take his $3.4 million Aston Martin on a joyride. “Questions about his biography and business background” continue to swirl and Ohioans know they “can’t trust Bernie Moreno,” and are calling Moreno out for supporting a national abortion ban on the anniversary of the leaked Dobbs decision. At the same time, Moreno refuses to answer any questions about the lies “dogg[ing] his campaign.”

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

• New reporting found that Bernie Moreno used a taxpayer-funded police escort of “at least three police cars” to take his $3.4 million Aston Martin – worth “90 times Ohio’s median per capita income of $37,729” – on a joyride on closed public roads and failed to reimburse the North Olmsted police department.

• On the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision leak, Ohioans should know that Bernie Moreno supports a national abortion ban and called the Dobbs decision – which overturned Roe v. Wade and put Ohioans’ healthcare in jeopardy – a “monumental victory.”

• Bernie Moreno was gifted a 2017 Buick Envision manual and “Made in China” stickers to remind him he still owes Ohioans answers about why he lied about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision that workers have said contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas” and caused Ohio workers to call out Moreno saying “we can’t trust [Moreno] to tell us the truth or stand up for our jobs.”

🚓 BERNIE’S JOYRIDE, OHIO TAXPAYER DOLLARS: Bernie Moreno is once again showing Ohioans he’s out for himself – this time, it’s his joyride on closed public roads that he failed to reimburse the North Olmsted police department for. Not only that, Bernie “pants on fire” Moreno lied about how the car was imported – once again showing he doesn’t believe the rules apply to him.

❌ A “MONUMENTAL VICTORY”:  That’s what Bernie Moreno called the Dobbs decision – which overturned Roe v. Wade and led to dangerous abortion bans putting Ohioans’ healthcare in jeopardy. On the two-year anniversary of the leaked decision, read what ODP spokesperson Katie Smith said about Bernie Moreno’s “well-documented” and repeated support for a national abortion ban: “Bernie Moreno believes abortion should be illegal in all cases, including in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother, and he would support a national abortion ban to overturn the will of Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights.”

🎁 A GIFT FOR HIS GRIFT: Bernie Moreno is still refusing to answer questions about why he lied to Ohioans about refusing to sell the Chinese-made Buick Envision that workers have said contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas” – so the Ohio Democratic Party gifted Bernie Moreno a 2017 Buick Envision manual and “Made in China” stickers to remind him he owes Ohio workers answers.”

😬 BERNIE’S GOT BAGGAGE: “Questions about [Moreno’s] biography and business background” continue to swirl, leaving Ohioans feeling they “can’t trust Bernie Moreno.” And Moreno *still* refuses to answer questions about the “string of inconsistencies that have dogged his campaign,” whether it’s his lies about fleeing socialism, shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, starting his business without handouts, or selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision.

 🗞️ WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING THIS WEEK:

• Jeff Adams, UAW Local 1219 President: “Moreno has shown Ohio auto workers that he is a liar and not on our side. We can’t trust him to fight for us.”

• Cleveland.com: “[Bernie Moreno]’s on record as being opposed to abortion without exceptions. He insists that his radical views be shoved down the throats of Ohio voters with a national ban on all abortions. After all the work to get reproductive rights written into our state constitution, we can’t send a fanatic like Bernie to Washington to take it away.”

• Mother Jones: “With at least three police cars providing an escort down busy streets that were partially closed for the occasion, Moreno cruised down Lorain and Stearns roads in the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted [in his $3.4 million car], at times reaching 60 miles per hour, the Plain Dealer reported. Public records requests processed by the city of North Olmsted and obtained by Mother Jones did not return records indicating Moreno paid the city for its services.”

• WVXU: “Brown’s success in getting this passed in the $95 billion foreign aid bill left Brown’s Republican opponent, former car dealer Bernie Moreno, gobsmacked. Moreno, now in his first statewide race, was on record saying that he would have voted against the $95 billion aid package had he been in the Senate.”

• Tony Totty, UAW Local 14 President: “U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown walks our strike lines with us while his opponent Bernie Moreno sells Buicks made in China.”

🐤 TWEET OF THE WEEK:

🎶 CODA: “‘Moreno has already said he’s not going to work with the other party if he is elected… How can he expect to get anything done?’”

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