Sherrod Brown's Campaign Spreads "Pants on Fire" Lie About Treasurer Mandel

Release:

Columbus, Ohio -- Today PolitiFact Ohio gave a "Pants on Fire" rating to the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) as a result of an "incorrect" and "misleading" statement it made in a March 20, 2012 press release. After examining the claim, PolitiFact Ohio concluded,"[I]t is ridiculous for the Ohio Democratic Party to charge Mandel with more than a year of neglect ... That leaves the party without a sturdy leg of truthfulness to stand on. Pants on Fire!"

While we agree with this assessment, it is important to note that the ODP is not alone in its attempt to spread lies about Josh Mandel's proven record at the Treasurer's Office. In fact, they were not the first to make the debunked accusation. Sherrod Brown's campaign is guilty of establishing the lie and perpetuating it in the media. On March 19, the day before the ODP issued their release, a spokesman for Sherrod Brown's campaign stated, "Had Josh Mandel truly been concerned with protecting retirees and taxpayers from fraud, he would have taken the initiative to act more than a year ago -- not when it became politically expedient for him to do so."

Please see the below statement:

"This is just one example of how Sherrod Brown's campaign is responsible for spreading lies about Josh Mandel's record of success at the Treasurer's office. I have no doubt that Sherrod Brown, his staff, and their puppets at the Ohio Democratic Party will continue to lie about Josh in an attempt to hide from Sherrod Brown's failed record after twenty years as a DC politician." -- Travis Considine, Communications Director Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate


BACKGROUND

Ohio Democratic Party's Claim Collapses Under Scrutiny. "'The Ohio Democratic Party's claim -- 'Mandel first claimed bank fraud in June 2010 but did nothing for more than a year while raising money for his Senate campaign' -- collapses under scrutiny." (Henry Gomez and Robert Higgs, "Ohio Democratic Party says Josh Mandel accused banks of fraud but waited a year to take action," PolitiFact Ohio, 4/3/12)

Ohio Democratic Party’s Claim Is "Incorrect" And "Misleading". "It is incorrect and misleading to say Mandel ‘claimed bank fraud' against BNY Mellon and State Street when he focused his public statements solely on State Street and clearly attributed them to the investigation in California. It also is misleading to strip those statements of the full context: that Mandel was mainly concerned about contract-steering and cronyism." (Henry Gomez and Robert Higgs, “Ohio Democratic Party says Josh Mandel accused banks of fraud but waited a year to take action,” PolitiFact Ohio, 4/3/12)

Sherrod Brown Campaign Echoes "Pants On Fire" Claim. "Mandel announced last month that his office was cutting ties with two banks he suspects of fraud. His opponents pounced. Justin Barasky, a spokesman for Brown and former state party press secretary, emailed that Mandel had raised questions about fraud while campaigning for the treasurer's post nearly two years ago. 'Why,' Barasky wondered, 'did Mandel not lead the way by acting against the banks as soon as he took office?'" (Henry Gomez and Robert Higgs, "Ohio Democratic Party says Josh Mandel accused banks of fraud but waited a year to take action," PolitiFact Ohio, 4/3/12)

Sherrod Brown Spokesman FIRST to Suggest Treasurer Mandel Claimed Bank Fraud And Failed to Act: "'Had Josh Mandel truly been concerned with protecting retirees and taxpayers from fraud, he would have taken the initiative to act more than a year ago -- not when it became politically expedient for him to do so.'" (Michael McAuliff, "Josh Mandel, Senate Candidate And Ohio Treasurer, Attends Board Of Deposit Meeting," The Huffington Post, 3/19/12)


* Sherrod Brown Campaign Implies Josh Mandel Allowed Fraud To Go Unanswered On Columbus Television. "'If there was fraud being committed with our tax dollars against the taxpayers of Ohio, why didn't Josh Mandel do something about it on day one?' said Justin Barasky, spokesman for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, (D)-Ohio." (WSYX-TV, Link, 3/19/12)


Sherrod Brown Spokesman Confuses Facts With Fiction. "Mandel is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in November.' He should have done something on day one in office,' said Justin Barasky, spokesman for Brown's re-election campaign. 'It took him more than 14 months for him to finally say 'We’ll stop dealing with them'?'" (Laura Bischoff, "Ohio claims fraud involved 2 East Coast banks," Dayton Daily News, 3/19/12)

Sherrod Brown Campaign Perpetuates Lie. "Mr. Barasky said that if Mr. Mandel believed the banks were defrauding Ohio's pension boards he should have acted as soon as he took office, rather than 14 months later. 'If this is true, what the heck has he been doing for the last year-plus in allowing this to go on?' Mr. Barasky said. 'It was certainly a political stunt by Mandel.'" (Tom Troy and Jim Provance, "Ohio treasurer attends board of deposit session, Appearance at panel is 1st since election," The Toledo Blade, 3/20/12)

Sherrod Brown’s Campaign Communications Director Tweets False Accusation: "Still wondering: Why did Josh Mandel allow alleged fraud against taxpayers of OH for more than a year? #ohsen #bahamas." (@JustinBarasky, Twitter, Link, 3/20/12)

SHERROD BROWN'S UNFORTUNATE PATTERN OF NOT TELLING THE TRUTH

BARELY TRUE: Sherrod Brown Says Financial Bill Will End "Too-Big-To-Fail." "[I]t's an exaggeration to say that the bill would put an 'end' to future bailouts. Short of, say, passing a constitutional amendment ruling out bailouts, any future Congress or administration would be able to act as conditions demanded, even after passage of this bill. So we rate Brown's statement Barely True." (Louis Jacobson, "Sherrod Brown says financial bill will end 'too-big-to-fail'," PolitiFact Ohio, 4/26/10)

FALSE: Sen. Sherrod Brown Overstates Amount That 'Millionaires and Billionaires' Would Get In Tax Deal. "We're asking something more basic: Will there really be $700 billion worth of tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires? A short answer: No. That's because Brown's figure is loaded with an assumption and a rhetorical flourish." (Stephen Koff, "Sen. Sherrod Brown overstates amount that 'millionaires and billionaires' would get in tax deal," PolitiFact Ohio, 12/15/10)

MOSTLY FALSE: Sherrod Brown Says Elderly Account For Two-Thirds of Medicaid's Costs. "In reality, elderly beneficiaries by themselves account for nowhere close to the two-thirds of Medicaid's costs that Brown suggested." (Louis Jacobson, "Sherrod Brown Says Elderly Account For Two-Thirds of Medicaid's Costs," PolitiFact Ohio, 5/10/11)

FALSE: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's Campaign Warns There Is A Republican Plan To End Medicare. "And we see a problem with the Brown campaign's claim, because Republicans have not said they want to end Medicare. PolitiFact has noted this several times, and many political operatives are aware of the issue and its broader debate." (Stephen Koff, "U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign warns there is a Republican plan to end Medicare," PolitiFact Ohio, 2/27/11)