Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno and his legal team are pushing back against reports that tried to link him to a previous account on an adult dating website ahead of the state’s Republican primary. ing.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that an Adult Friend Finder (AFF) account was used in 2008 with emails linked to the Trump-supporting candidate Moreno, who is running in a tight primary race for a key Senate seat in Ohio. released a report claiming to have been prepared in
The Associated Press could not confirm that the account was created by Moreno himself, only that his email address was used to create the account. Former intern Dan Rich later claimed in a letter that he was the one who created the account as part of a “prank,” calling it “extremely embarrassing.”
“This is a terrible last-minute attack by desperate people. This is what they’re doing. Look at what they did to Judge (Brett) Kavanaugh, look at what they did to President Trump. Take a look,” Moreno told Politico in a statement condemning the report. .
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Former President Donald Trump (left) has endorsed Republican candidate Bernie Moreno in the Ohio Senate race. (Bernie Moreno Campaign)
Bernie Moreno’s legal advisor Charles Harder also denied the allegations, saying Moreno had “nothing to do with” the details of the prank.
“Sixteen years ago, an intern at Moreno Auto created an AFF account as a prank, but quickly abandoned it the same day. We provided the AP with a signed letter from the intern acknowledging this. “We provided a copy and another signed letter from a former vice president of Mr. Moreno’s company confirming that the intern was employed at the time the account in question was created,” Harder said. said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “The email address in question was not Bernie’s personal email address, but an email address posted on the company’s website and materials and maintained by staff. Multiple people, including this intern, had access to it. “Bernie Moreno had nothing to do with this intern,” the AFF account said. ”
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“According to metadata, the AFF account had never been used. No communications or contacts were sent to or received from other AFF accounts, and no photos or content were uploaded,” Harder said. added. “The AFF account didn’t exist for half a day 16 years ago.”
Senate candidate Bernie Moreno is recognized during a rally with former President Donald Trump at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on April 23, 2022 in Delaware, Ohio. (Joe Maiorana)
“It looks like the story is changing,” said one senior Republican strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“Bernie’s story appears to be changing. For weeks, his campaign told everyone that website metadata proved Bernie’s innocence, but then the Associated Press shot down that claim.” they told FOX. “Now Bernie says an intern went to where Bernie’s parents live in Florida and created a gay dating profile for him as a prank. He passed the smell test. I just haven’t.”
Moreno is running to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). (Tom Williams)
Moreno’s Republican primary opponent did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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The Ohio Senate race is one of the biggest pick-up opportunities for Republicans in 2024 and is classified as a “toss-up,” according to Cook Political Report.
