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Pants-On-Fire Tour Comes To Cleveland

Cleveland, OH – This morning in Cleveland, Ohio State Representative Phil Robinson, Cleveland Teachers Union Local 279 President Shari Obrenski, and SEIU Local 1199 retiree Lynn Radcliffe slammed Bernie Moreno for lying to and disrespecting Ohioans. Representative Robinson, Obrenski, and Radcliffe highlighted the “string of inconsistencies” from Moreno on the campaign trail and the lies he is telling in a “calculated” attempt to reinvent himself to appeal to voters.

“Clevelanders can’t trust Bernie Moreno to look out for us because he’s too busy lying to our faces,” said Ohio State Representative Phil Robinson. “Whether it’s falsely taking the credit for bringing 5G to Cleveland or lying about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, we can’t trust Moreno to tell the truth – much less fight for us.”

“Time and again, Bernie Moreno betrayed workers to help himself and then lied about it,” said Shari Obrenski, President, Cleveland Teachers Union, Local 279. “He destroyed evidence to try to get out of paying his employees overtime, sold Chinese-made cars at the expense of Ohio’s auto workers, and lied about all of it. Ohio workers won’t fall for Moreno’s lies because it’s clear he is only out for himself.”

“Bernie Moreno is trying to pretend he’s someone he’s not to win Cleveland voters,” said Lynn Radcliffe, SEIU Local 1199 retiree. “His nonstop lies and his phony persona are insulting and they can’t hide the truth: Moreno is a liar who only looks out for himself.”

Click here to view photos and recordings from today’s press conference for media use.

What Ohioans Need To Know About Bernie Moreno’s Lies:

1. Moreno lies about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute while serving on the university’s board – but Columbus Dispatch reporting revealed that the Confucius Institute operated for years after Moreno’s tenure and Moreno approved multiple budgets that funded the Institute. Watch him lie to Ohioans here:

2. Moreno takes the credit for bringing 5G wireless to Cleveland, but the Ohio Capital Journal found that “the record, however, tells a different story” and 5G’s rollout happened thanks to “infrastructure improvements [AT&T] was already planning.”

3. The New York Times exposed Moreno’s phony “riches-to-rags-to-riches,” “only-in-America bootstraps story” as a “calculated process of self-creation.”

4. Moreno repeatedly lies and says he never sold the Chinese-made Buick Envision – an SUV that was always made in China – but Spectrum News found that Moreno sold the car for years and “promoted the vehicles” in numerous ads, including in a customer testimonial.

5. Moreno claims that he came to the United States from Colombia to “escape” socialism but reporting from The Guardian found that Moreno’s lies “do not withstand historical scrutiny.”

6. Moreno is lying about his business origin story, claiming he built his car dealership business “all on his own” and without “handouts” – in reality, Business Insider reported that Moreno received an insider deal to purchase his first dealership at a “dramatically reduced price.”

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Ohio Capital Journal: “[Bernie Moreno Is] Welcoming The Support Of A Man Who Brokered What Was Perhaps The Key Relationship In A Scheme…That Fell On The Backs Of Ratepayers — Which Is To Say Everyday Ohioans.”

Columbus, OH –  Bernie Moreno was caught “welcoming” the support and campaigning behind closed doors with Tony George a “big player” in the FirstEnergy scandal which led to a $1.3 billion bailout “that fell on the backs of… everyday Ohioans.” This is not Moreno’s first time cozying up to individuals involved in the largest corruption scandal in state history, with previous reporting finding he “accepted a large donation” from an individual involved in the scandal.

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Ohio Capital Journal: Moreno blasted rivals over scandal. Now he’s welcoming a big player’s support
Marty Schladen
June 13, 2024

• But now [Bernie Moreno is] welcoming the support of a man who brokered what was perhaps the key relationship in a scheme in which Akron-based FirstEnergy paid $61 million to purchase a $1.3 billion bailout that fell on the backs of ratepayers — which is to say everyday Ohioans.

• The supporter, Cleveland businessman Tony George, invited a now-convicted lawmaker to travel on FirstEnergy’s private jet… and booked the lawmaker and FirstEnergy executives into the same hotel for days of events during which federal prosecutors say the conspiracy began. George was still communicating with the central players in 2020, when the FBI started making arrests.

• When asked to comment on the seeming hypocrisy, Moreno’s campaign didn’t respond directly.

• In a Spectrum News 1 debate on Feb. 19, Moreno went after his Republican opponents, State Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose… But as for Moreno’s problems with figures who were involved in the bailout scandal, they appear to extend only to his political opponents — not his supporters.

• On May 16, his campaign held a Bourbon With Bernie fundraiser in Mentor. Cleveland businessman Tony George was a host, a privilege for which George paid $2,500.

• In addition to being a Moreno supporter, George has had a long and lucrative relationship with FirstEnergy. Entities linked to George received nearly $11 million from FirstEnergy over the years, according to a state audit.

• But George’s role was substantial enough that he was called “Individual B” in FirstEnergy’s deferred prosecution agreement — a document in which the utility copped to its culpability for the bribery scandal, along with paying out $230 million. It lays out Individual B’s close relationship with FirstEnergy’s top executive and to Householder from the fall of 2016, when Householder was plotting his return to the House and then to regain the speaker’s gavel.

• The Moreno campaign this week declined to answer questions about these matters on the record.

• It was asked whether Moreno was aware of George’s involvement in the HB 6 affair when Moreno accepted George’s support. It was also asked if Moreno would return George’s money and decline support in the future.

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Columbus, Ohio– Following the Supreme Court ruling in FDA vs Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, in which the court unanimously rejected attacks on access to safe, long-standing reproductive care, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement:

“Today, we can breathe a little easier knowing that Mifepristone will remain widely available. But make no mistake, abortion is still on the ballot in Ohio and the stakes couldn’t be higher. This November, it’s up to all of us to elect candidates who will defend the right to an abortion and push back against attacks on all forms of reproductive care.  Our work is far from over, and we’re ready to ensure that every Republican who attacks our rights hears loud and clear: we won’t go back.”

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Columbus, Ohio- Following the special election in Ohio’s 6th congressional district, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement.

“We’re grateful to Michael Kripchak for running a campaign rooted in the belief that the people of Ohio’s 6th district deserve a representative who works for them, not just the wealthy and well connected. Michael ran a strong campaign that focused on the issues that matter most, showing up in communities across OH 6 that have been long overlooked. All while facing heaps of corporate cash and running in an illegally gerrymandered district. As he enters the general election, we know he’ll keep up the fight so voters in OH 6 get the representation they deserve. 

While we shouldn’t draw too many lessons from a single election, this race makes it clear that it’s a mistake to completely write off Ohio.”

UAW Local 14 President Tony Totty: “We have enough liars in D.C. We don’t need to add another one like Bernie Moreno.”

Columbus, OH – Today in Toledo, Ohioans noted Moreno is “someone who just does not tell the truth” following the string of “inaccurate” and “dishonest” claims he has made on the campaign trail.

Moreno’s calculated attempt to reinvent himself to appeal to voters – from his false claims of bringing 5G access to Cleveland and his phony “rags-to-riches” story, to lying about refusing to sell Chinese-made cars, shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, and his business origin story – shows Ohioans that he is only out for himself.  

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Toledo Blade: Local leaders show their support for Sen. Sherrod Brown’s re-election campaign
Alice Momany
June 12, 2024

• Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz believes honesty is the basis of what voters should look for in a political candidate, which is why he is putting his support behind U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D., Ohio) re-election campaign.

• “I think it’s true that you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and the first impression that voters in Ohio have of Bernie Moreno is that he is someone who just does not tell the truth,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.

• The mayor was joined by Tony Totty, the president of UAW Local 14, on Wednesday at One Government Center to call out Mr. Brown’s Republican opponent, Mr. Moreno, for telling what they believe to be untruths.

• “We have enough liars in D.C.,” Mr. Totty said. “We don’t need to add another one like Bernie Moreno.”

• Mr. Kapszukiewicz expressed his concerns about claims Mr. Moreno has shared on the campaign trail that have proven to be inaccurate. He pointed to Mr. Moreno’s assertions that he did not sell the China-made Buick Envision when he owned a Buick-GMC dealership, but he did.

• “Moreno spent years screwing [auto workers] over, selling Chinese-made cars to make himself richer,” Mr. Totty said.

• The mayor also expressed concerns about Mr. Moreno’s [lies about his] upbringing. In March 2023, during meet and greet event in the Cincinnati area, Mr. Moreno talked about his family’s immigration from Colombia to the U.S., where they came “with absolutely nothing.” However, Mr. Kapszukiewicz pointed out that Mr. Moreno came from a wealthy and well-connected political family in Colombia.

• “I know it sounds better. Pretend that you are from humble roots and you’ve made yourself into a winner,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “That’s a great line, but it doesn’t happen to be true.

• He also called out Mr. Moreno’s claim of shutting down Cleveland State University’s Confucius Institute while he was on the university’s board of trustees, but Mr. Moreno’s term on the board ended three years before the institute was banned from campus. Mr. Moreno also said that he introduced the idea of 5G internet access to his now hometown of Cleveland in December, 2018, but six months prior, AT&T announced expansion of 5G services to 500 cities, including Cleveland.

Heartland Signal: Bernie Moreno drops in polls after series of dishonest statements on campaign trail
Richard Eberwein
June 12, 2024

• The poll comes after many media reports refuting statements Moreno has made both on and off the campaign trail since launching his Senate bid in April 2023. Moreno claimed that his family was in poverty when they immigrated to the United States from Colombia.

• “We came here with absolutely nothing — we came here legally — but we came here, nine of us in a two-bedroom apartment,” Moreno claimed in 2023.

• A New York Times article last month shined light on the fact that Moreno actually grew up in a very wealthy and connected family. Moreno’s step-grandfather also reportedly lent the family money to move into a four-bedroom home in Pompano Beach after they came to the United States.

• In addition to embellishing his upbringing, Moreno also potentially lied about escaping socialism in Colombia, building his car dealership empire without handouts and bringing 5G to the city of Cleveland.

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