Bernie Moreno, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, came to the United States from Colombia at the age of four. He says he learned English through Ronald Reagan’s speeches. Although this claim has been questioned, it seems likely that if Moreno had learned the language that way, certain famous speeches might not have fully sunk in.
At the 1968 Republican National Convention, President Reagan said, “The time has come to restore the American teaching that each individual is responsible for his or her own actions.”
Throughout the close race, in which the defeat of incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown could determine control of the Senate, Moreno has repeatedly chosen to avoid responsibility for questions about his own actions and instead blame others. has shown tendencies uncharacteristic of Reagan. This is revealed in a review of reports and court documents.
Last month, Moreno’s campaign blamed “a staff member who made a mistake” after it was revealed that Moreno had falsely claimed to have earned an MBA from the University of Michigan and had signed legal documents containing such claims.
Moreno told the radio host: Seven, eight, nine years ago, one of my administrators made a clerical error and misrepresented that I had an MBA. It was BBA. ”
Mr. Moreno’s opponents may have been right in saying they “wanted to make headlines” on this issue, but they also “wanted to confuse people, like did this guy lie about going to college?” He also claimed that. Absolutely not. ”
That’s not what Democrats are saying. “A new report proving he’s lying about getting an MBA from an upstate school disqualifies him. He lied about getting a bogus business degree from Michigan State,” said Ohio Sen. Bill DeMola. No one is qualified to represent the people of Ohio.”
The phantom MBA episode is not the only time Mr. Moreno has blamed others for making mistakes.
Also in September, when Brown faced reports about late property tax payments, Politico reported that “a trust partially owned by a wealthy Republican Senate candidate (Moreno) was responsible for paying $20,000 in taxes on a home. was delayed by more than a year.” It is owned in Key Largo, Florida and “leads to the issuance of a lien in June 2023.”
According to Politico, the debt was paid on the day of the report. A spokesperson for Mr. Moreno said the mistake was not his fault.
“Bernie has no control over the finances of the mansion,” Reagan McCarthy said. “One of his brothers did that and it was an unfortunate oversight.”
Nor are such moments limited to the general election period. Similar issues affected Moreno in the Republican primary he won in May, when Donald Trump’s coveted support forced him to overcome what The Associated Press called “more moderate alternatives.”
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In January, multiple news outlets reported on a 2017 Massachusetts lawsuit in which Moreno was accused of not being paid overtime at an auto company. The judge said Moreno “failed to retain or shredded” monthly reports that he “knew or should have known” he was required to retain, according to court records. Ultimately, the jury found Mr. Moreno responsible for withholding wages and ordered him to pay $416,160 in damages.
The primary opposition raised this issue. Moreno claimed political bias, calling the jury in the case “ridiculous” and the judge “a Harvard elitist lunatic.” The judge in question was appointed by the Republican Party.
Moreno also blamed the plaintiffs for overtime, calling them “the two worst salespeople I’ve ever had, guys who never showed up on time, never punched in, never punched out, and no evidence of overtime.” blamed. The issue of staff pay, which he said “actually manages the payroll.” In court, the employee testified that he was not responsible for such matters.
Even more ominously, in March, the Associated Press reported that Moreno “went from a public supporter of LGBTQ+ rights to a staunch opponent,” adding that he was “a 2008 advocate for ‘one-on-one men.’ “We are facing questions about the existence of the profile.” “1 Sex” is a casual sex dating site called Adult Friend Finder.
Moreno’s attorney said the candidate was not behind the account and released a statement saying former Moreno intern Dan Rich created the account as a “juvenile prank.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Moreno did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
