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Columbus, Ohio- Today, Governor DeWine endorsed a redistricting plan similar to the one in Iowa, where politicians have the final say. 

It’s a sudden switch coming from a governor who previously said that he would be “very happy not to be involved in the future” and said today that we should remove politics from redistricting.

“Governor DeWine’s redistricting flip-flop reveals a man no longer in charge of his administration and it begs the question if he ever actually was,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters. “Either Governor DeWine suddenly believes politicians actually should be drawing maps for Ohioans despite countless examples of him professing the opposite position, or he knows that future administrations will have a harder time passing the extremist agenda we see coming out of Columbus with a balanced legislature.”

DeWine on Redistricting, in his own words: 

 I don’t think the legislature should be involved in redistricting. I don’t think the governor should be involved. I would be very happy not to be involved in that in the future… I think that the real question is — somebody’s gonna make these decisions, so how do you get people who are, in fact, impartial and who people can have trust in? And that, to me, is the real concern. –  ABC5 Cleveland, 01/07/2024

I’ve been very clear in saying that I don’t think the governor should be involved. I don’t want to be involved. I don’t think the legislature should be involved. And we need to come up with a new way.”- WTAP, 01/07/2024.

“It’s my personal choice to never be involved in that again, so maybe I have a little bias and don’t want elected officials involved, because I sure don’t want to be involved in it again. And we need not to have elected officials directly involved in it,” he said. Ohio Capital Journal, 5/13/2024

 “The system we have today doesn’t work very well,” the governor said “[It’s] no great revelation to anyone in this room who watched this unfold — it just didn’t work very well.” Ohio Capitol Journal– 8/23/2023

Columbus, OH – New reporting from the Associated Press found that Bernie Moreno is “heavily invested” in and profited off of a scheme with his brothers by funneling U.S. taxpayer money into banks that financed projects his family oversaw. This is the latest example of Moreno’s record using his “deep political connections” to enrich himself while taxpayers pay the price.

Bernie Moreno’s Family Enrichment Scheme Explained:

• From 2005 – 2020, Bernie Moreno’s brother Luis Alberto Moreno served as president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), “the largest source for long-term financing in Latin America and the Caribbean” which is funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars.

• At the same time, Roberto Moreno, another Moreno brother, served as the President and Co-Founder of Amarilo Construction, “one of Colombia’s largest builders of affordable housing.”

• According to the AP, “corporate records show” that under Moreno’s brother’s leadership, the IDB “loaned or underwrote bonds totaling $360 million to two private Colombian banks” that then financed Amarilo development projects overseen by the Moreno family.

• Bernie Moreno’s personal financial disclosure shows he is “heavily invested” in Amarilo, has up to $1.5 million invested in two funds associated with the scheme, and is a “majority owner” of a parcel of land worth up to $5 million with ties to the scheme.

Following The AP’s Report, Moreno Must Answer:

1. How much money do you have invested in Amarilo and the two Yellowstone Capital Partners investment funds?

2. Will you make the details of your investments in Amarilo and Yellowstone Capital Partners available for Ohioans to see?

3. Have you profited off of U.S. taxpayer dollars being funneled towards the property you are a “majority owner” of in Costa Rica?

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Columbus, OH – Bernie Moreno owes Ohioans answers after an Associated Press report found that he is “heavily invested” in and profited off of a scheme with his brothers by funneling U.S. taxpayer money into banks that financed projects his family oversaw.

The AP found that, under Moreno’s brother’s leadership, the Inter-American Development Bank funneled U.S. taxpayer dollars to “banks that worked with Amarilo,” a company owned by a different brother. The report found that Moreno is “heavily invested” in Amarilo, has up to $1.5 million invested in two of the funds associated with the scheme, and is a “majority owner” of a parcel of land worth up to $5 million with ties to the scheme.

Following the AP’s report, here are three questions Moreno must answer about his enrichment scheme:

1. How much money do you have invested in Amarilo and the two Yellowstone Capital Partners investment funds?

2. Will you make the details of your investments in Amarilo and Yellowstone Capital Partners available for Ohioans to see?

3. Have you profited off of U.S. taxpayer dollars being funneled towards the property you are a “majority owner” of in Costa Rica?

Read More:

Associated Press: Senate candidate Bernie Moreno campaigns as an outsider. His wealthy family is politically connected
Julie Carr Smyth and Joshua Goodman
July 28, 2024

• Many of Luis Alberto Moreno’s connections in business stem from his time as president of the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank, the largest source for long-term financing in Latin America and the Caribbean. During his tenure from 2005 to 2020, he oversaw the biggest capital increase in the international bank’s history. But he also drew criticism from U.S. lawmakers for the way the bank, whose mission is to fight poverty in the region, lost nearly $1 billion by plowing a large chunk of its cash reserves into mortgage-backed securities at a time Wall Street was fleeing toxic assets blamed for triggering the 2008 global financial crisis.

• Another brother, Roberto Moreno, is co-founder and president of Amarilo Construction, one of Colombia’s largest builders of affordable housing… corporate records show at least some of IDB’s funding going to banks that worked with Amarilo, and Bernie Moreno’s financial disclosures indicate he is heavily invested in a U.S. affiliate of the company.

• The IDB loaned or underwrote bonds totaling $360 million to two private Colombian banks to promote affordable housing through its private-sector lending arm. One of the banks, Banco Davivienda, financed Amarilo’s development of a Bogota apartment complex between 2019 and 2020, according to the mortgage lender’s 2021 annual report. Meanwhile the other financial institution, Bancolombia, signed an alliance in 2020 with Amarilo and Yellowstone Capital Partners, a private equity firm the construction giant created in 2009 to source institutional investment. It has operations in both Colombia and the U.S.

• According to Bernie Moreno’s 2023 personal financial disclosure, he is a majority owner of a Yellowstone-associated parcel of land in Costa Rica worth between $1 million and $5 million. He also has invested between $750,000 and $1.5 million in two of Yellowstone’s U.S. investment funds, one of which targets opportunities in the American housing market.

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Ohioans Can Call 844-OHI-VOTE For Voting-Related Questions

Columbus, OH – Today, the Organizing for Ohio Coordinated Campaign launched their Voter Assistance Hotline to answer questions Ohioans have about voting and new voter ID laws, help Ohioans register to vote and request an absentee ballot, and respond to concerns at local polling places. The hotline will be available for Ohioans 24 hours a day.

Ohioans can reach the Organizing for Ohio Voter Assistance Hotline by calling 844-644-8683 (844-OHI-VOTE).

“The Organizing for Ohio Coordinated Campaign is fighting to make sure the voices of all Ohioans are heard on Election Day,” said Organizing for Ohio Coordinated Director Mariah Gould. “We already have an unprecedented grassroots operation on the ground engaging with voters in communities across Ohio, and the voter assistance hotline is a critical tool to make sure Ohioans have the support they need before casting their vote this fall.”

The Organizing for Ohio campaign is organizing earlier than ever and ready to support Ohioans through each step of the voting process with 99 days until Election Day, 70 days until the voter registration deadline, and 71 days till Ohio’s early voting begins.

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Columbus, OH – With less than 100 days until the #OHSEN general election, Bernie Moreno continues to show Ohioans that he’s “a liar looking out for himself” – whether it’s the “dubious claims” “dogg[ing]” him on the campaign trail, his record of “stiffing workers” and “shredding evidence” to get out of paying his employees, or his support for a national abortion ban that would overturn the will of Ohioans who voted to protect abortion rights last year.

Less Than 100 Days Out From Election Day, Here’s What You 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 has shown Ohioans he can’t be trusted and has been caught lying about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision which contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas,” lying about his phony “rags-to-riches” story as the “signature pitch” of his campaign, lying about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, lying about “escap[ing]” socialism, lying about bringing 5G to Cleveland, and lying about his business origin story.

2. Moreno’s campaign has been clouded by lawsuits that “could prove to be a liability,” including over a dozen lawsuits where 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 that would overturn the will of Ohioans. Moreno has said he is “100% pro-life without exceptions,” called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “monumental victory,” and opposes protecting a woman’s right to access contraception, including birth control pills. Moreno is endorsed by SBA Pro-Life America, an organization that pledged to only back candidates who support a national abortion ban.

4. Moreno opposed the bipartisan bill to secure the border and won’t work across the aisle for Ohioans.  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.

5. Moreno won’t work for Ohio. When asked how he would work across the aisle, 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.

SEE ALSO: REMINDER: Moreno Still Owes Ohioans Answers About His “Dubious Claims” On The Campaign Trail; WHAT OHIOANS ARE SAYING: Moreno Is “A Liar Looking Out For Himself” Who “Doesn’t Care About” Ohioans; 12 Weeks, 12 Things Ohioans Are Saying Since Reporting Revealed Moreno Lied About Selling Chinese-Made Cars; Bernie Moreno Confirms He Supports National Abortion Ban Fourth Time In Two Weeks; FACT CHECK: Bernie Moreno “Reject[ed]” Bipartisanship, Refuses to Work Across the Aisle To Deliver for Ohioans

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