Ohio elections panel hears lawmaker’s complaint

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Turkish government covertly funneled campaign money to an Ohio congresswoman in return for her denials that the mass killings of Armenians during World War I constituted genocide, an Armenian- American and his high-powered attorney argued at a state hearing Thursday.

U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Republican, wants the Ohio Elections Commission to find that Richard Krikorian violated election law when he said in campaign materials during the 2008 campaign that she had accepted “blood money” from the Turkish government in return for her genocide denial.

After roughly seven hours of testimony Thursday, the commission ran out of time and will resume the hearing in October.

The commission has the power to fine Krikorian, but the case could end up in the formal court system.

Commission members repeatedly asked Krikorian’s attorneys to show proof that Turkish interests had given $30,000 in campaign money to Schmidt through legal campaign committees and lobbyists. It’s illegal for foreign governments to contribute to U.S. politicians.

Los Angeles attorney Mark Geragos, whose past clients include the late pop star Michael Jackson and actress Winona Ryder, took up the case at Krikorian’s invitation. Geragos is also an Armenian-American.

The commission is first trying to establish whether it can be proved that the Turkish government or government-sponsored political action committees gave money to Schmidt. If the commission decides there is no proof, it must then determine whether Krikorian made the statements in a reckless disregard of the truth.

Schmidt and Krikorian, who plans to challenge her again in 2010, were both questioned during Thursday’s proceedings. Schmidt said she has not accepted money from the Turkish government, and Krikorian, based on his own research and other publications, said he believed Schmidt was taking Turkish government money through back channels in return for her genocide denials.

“These statements are all false,” said Schmidt attorney Donald Brey. “She never took money from Turkish government-sponsored political action committees.”

Krikorian believes his assertions are protected political speech, though Schmidt said he made a false campaign statement.

“I felt that these contributions were sponsored by the Turkish government,” Krikorian said. “I think it’s freedom of speech.”

Geragos said he thought Krikorian had already proved that Schmidt had received money from Turkish interests, but that at the next hearing he would present evidence of a direct link.

Krikorian said Turkish interests, which he said are trying to fend off a congressional resolution declaring the killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide, were trying to reward Schmidt for her public position that she does not have enough information to make a decision.

Schmidt’s unwillingness to proclaim what many history scholars regard as fact is also shared by the U.S. government. The U.S. foreign policy establishment’s careful positioning on the issue is driven by the importance of maintaining productive relations with a moderate ally in the Middle East.

Turkey denies that the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians constituted genocide, contending the toll has been inflated and that the casualties were victims of civil war. It says Turks also suffered losses in the hands of Armenian gangs.