Cong. OH-2nd: Schmidt (R) Reprimanded for Falsehoods

As reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer here, a unanimous Ohio Board of Elections has publicly reprimanded incumbent Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) for false statements with potential to affect the outcome of the election. The false statements involved claiming that she had a second undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. A letter citing the campaign's "reckless disregard for truth" will be sent by the commission today. It's the most serious punishment available short of fines or criminal prosecution. Schmidt's campaign says it will appeal the ruling.

The commission also determined that Schmidt made other false statements by claiming endorsements from Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and the Family Research Council that she did not actually get. The commission did not impose any punishment for these falsehoods, however. The commission found no false statement with respect to Schmidt's claim of an endorsement by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati), because Chabot said that he had endorsed both Schmidt and McEwen.

In yet another blow to Schmidt, the commission rejected a complaint by Schmidt against her rival, former Rep. Bob McEwen, that he made false statements about living and voting in Ohio. A bipartisan panel of the commission voted 3-1 to find "no probable cause" to hear evidence on that complaint.

McEwen expressed glee over these actions. "The reason that I was cleared was that (Schmidt's) operatives made the most bogus charges you could imagine and the commission utterly rejected them," McEwen said. "The commission saw through her."

The attorney for the person who filed the successful complaints against Schmidt sought to underscore Schmidt's hesitance to admit the errors by reading portions of Schmidt's 68-page deposition, in which she said "I don't know," "I'm not sure," "I can't answer that," or "I don't remember" at least 50 times.