Ohio Republican Party Decries Thoughtless Accusations Against Rep. Matt Lynch

Release:

COLUMBUS - This morning, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett responded to accusations made by Ohio Democratic Chairman Redfern and the Ohio Democratic Party regarding appointment of Matt Lynch as representative of Ohio's 98th House District.

"Chairman Redfern and the Ohio Democratic Party should be ashamed, and the people of Ohio should be outraged, by the comments made about Matt Lynch today," Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett said.

"To think that someone who portends to be a leader would say such outrageous things about a man who was taking care of his terminally ill wife makes me sick to my stomach. Chris Redfern should immediately retract his statement and offer a sincere apology to Representative Lynch, his daughters and the people of the 98th House District. Anything short of that will continue to demonstrate that the Ohio Democratic Party and its Chairman know no bounds when it comes to gutter politics. All Ohioans should be heartsick over his reckless comments, which were hopefully made of out of pure ignorance."

Background Information

Chris Redfern issued a statement on Wednesday calling Representative Matt Lynch a "habitual tax cheat" for tax problems that surfaced in the early 1990s. In 1992, Representative Lynch's first wife, Janie, was diagnosed with leukemia, succumbing to the disease a year later. From the time of her diagnosis until her passing, Matt took care of their three daughters and did everything he could to take care of his ailing wife, temporarily closing his law practice to be with his family. Because of the unfortunate and difficult circumstances surrounding his wife's health, Matt was forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills while earning little-to-no income.