Columbus, OH – It’s been another week of nothing but bad news for Bernie Moreno as he was caught using an anti-recording device to “make it much more difficult to capture his words” after he was caught “mocking” Ohio women. Relatedly, he once again doubled down on his support of a national abortion ban this week, confirming he still supports “legislation to enact a federal ban on abortions.” 

Bernie was also caught lying to Ohioans again about the lawsuit after lawsuit he faced for mistreating employees, and he faced scrutiny for his pattern of refusing to take responsibility for “stiffing workers” and telling “lie after lie” to Ohioans. 

Plus, recent reporting revealed Moreno promoted multiple customer testimonials that featured “current and former employees,” including “a sales representative [who] had never actually purchased a car from the dealership.”

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

• New reporting exposes that Bernie Moreno has “a desire to hinder” Ohioans from hearing what he is saying and has purchased an anti-recording device to “make it much more difficult to capture his words.”

• Moreno doubled down on his support for a national abortion ban that will overturn the will of Ohioans who voted to protect abortion rights last year.

• Moreno lied to Ohioans again about the lawsuit after lawsuit he faced for mistreating his employees.

• New reporting highlights Bernie Moreno’s pattern of refusing to take responsibility for his record of “stiffing workers” and telling “lie after lie” to Ohioans.

• As a car salesman, Moreno promoted multiple customer testimonials that featured “current and former employees,” including a customer testimonial promoting the Chinese-made Buick Envision that was actually “a sales representative and had never actually purchased a car from the dealership.”

MORENO CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO NOT MOCK OHIOANS: New reporting from Business Insider today exposes that Bernie Moreno has “a desire to hinder” Ohioans from hearing what he is saying and has purchased an anti-recording device – resembling a device “available online for roughly $400” – to “make it much more difficult to capture his words.” Moreno’s use of the device follows him “land[ing] himself in hot water” after he was caught “mocking” Ohio women and calling them “a little crazy” for wanting to make their own health care decisions.

MORENO ASPIRES TO OVERRULE THE WILL OF OHIOANS: Bernie Moreno said in an interview this week he still believes in “legislation to enact a federal ban on abortions,” confirming his support for a national abortion ban that will overturn the overwhelming majority of Ohioans who voted to protect abortion access last November. Moreno is still facing criticism for “mocking” Ohio women and calling them “a little crazy” for wanting to make their own health care decisions.

PANTS ON FIRE ALERT: In a recent radio interview, Bernie Moreno lied to Ohioans again about the lawsuit after lawsuit he faced for mistreating his employees. Moreno has already faced scrutiny for making multiple false claims about the “at least 50” lawsuits he’s faced – including a dozen lawsuits for refusing to pay his employees what they were owed and a case in which he deliberately destroyed evidence he was legally required to keep to get out of paying them. 

IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU: New reporting this week highlights Bernie Moreno’s pattern of refusing to take responsibility for his record of “stiffing workers” and telling “lie after lie” to Ohioans. This is the latest example of Moreno only looking out for himself – from refusing to pay his employees their overtime wages and deliberately destroying evidence to get out of paying them what they were owed, to “falsely claim[ing]” that he earned an MBA from the University of ichigan, to failing to pay his taxes. Read more from The Guardian:

• Last month, after Moreno was shown to have falsely claimed to hold an MBA from the University of Michigan, including signing legal documents containing the claim, his campaign blamed “a staffer who made a mistake”.

• …Politico reported that “a trust belonging in part to the wealthy Republican Senate candidate [Moreno] was more than a year late on paying a $20,000 tax bill on a house that it owns” in Key Largo, Florida, “leading to the issuance of a lien in June 2023”. The debt was paid the day of the report, Politico said. A spokesperson for Moreno said the error was not his fault.

• In January, multiple outlets reported a Massachusetts case from 2017 in which Moreno was sued for non-payment of overtime at his auto company… 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 Republicans.

• Moreno also blamed the plaintiffs, whom he called “two of my worst salespeople, the guys that never even showed up on time, who didn’t punch in or punch out, who had no proof that they worked overtime”, and blamed the overtime pay issue on a staff member who he said “actually managed payroll”. In court, the staffer testified that she had not been responsible for such matters.

MORENO’S LIES ABOUT THE BUICK ENVISION CONTINUE: New reporting revealed that as a car salesman, Bernie Moreno promoted multiple customer testimonials that featured “current and former employees,” including a customer testimonial promoting the Chinese-made Buick Envision that was actually “a sales representative and had never actually purchased a car from the dealership.” Moreno has faced backlash from workers across Ohio for repeatedly lying about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision which contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.”

WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING THIS WEEK:

• The New York Times: “… [Moreno] lamented that so many women were what he called “single issue” voters on abortion rights.”

• BNN Bloomberg: “[Joanna Colucci, a Trumbull County government worker] objected to Moreno’s recent mocking of suburban women who prioritize access to abortions whenever they want as “a little crazy,” especially if they are over 50.”

• The Guardian: “According to court records, a judge said Moreno “either did not retain or shredded … monthly reports” that he “knew or should have known” he was required to keep. Ultimately, a jury found Moreno liable for withholding wages and ordered him to pay $416,160 in damages.”

• Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati: “The only thing people know [about Moreno] is he’s a rich guy who has a history of stealing from his employees.”

• Washington Times: “[Moreno] said he would “aspirationally” support legislation to enact a federal ban on abortions…”

• Elaine Nishwitz, Piqua Resident and Republican Voter: “How insulting was [Moreno’s comment]? We have daughters; we care about their future.”

• Penny Schmitthenner, Republican Voter: “Bernie Moreno frankly appalled me. Call me crazy, but I was appalled by his remarks.”

• Heartland Signal: “He has faced scrutiny for the more than 50 lawsuits he faced, for refusing to pay his employees overtime and for false statements about his record selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision.”

• Times Leader: “[Kevan Brown, business manager of the IBEW Local 246] referred to a court case in 2014 when Moreno was sued by former employee Michael Falcone for unpaid overtime wages. Kevin Brown proceeded to condemn Moreno’s business practices, adding that he believes Moreno’s business practices are unethical.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK:

CODA: “Bernie Moreno looks out for himself.”

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The post BAD NEWS BERNIE: Moreno Doesn’t Want Anyone To Hear What He Has to Say, Doubles Down On Support For National Abortion Ban And Caught Lying About His Record Mistreating Employees Again appeared first on Ohio Democrats.