Brown supporters, Mandel trade barbs

Brown supporters, Mandel trade barbs

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, said his opponent, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, is a “liar,” who makes “false statements.”

“If anyone knows about not telling the truth, it’s Josh Mandel, who has repeatedly been branded a ‘pants-on-fire’ liar by nonpartisan fact-check organizations,” responded Justin Barasky, Brown’s campaign spokesman.

Mandel made the statements to The Vindicator today after meeting at City Machine Technologies with local members of the National Federation of Independent Business. The organization of small-business owners have endorsed Mandel’s candidacy.

Mandel said Brown and his “team have shown they’re willing to lie about a lot of things.”

Mandel pointed to The Plain Dealer’s PolitiFact Ohio, a political fact-checking organization, as proof.

Mandel said PolitiFact determined Brown was “false” when he said in June 2011 that a Republican plan would end Medicare. The senator has since amended the statement to include “as we know it.”

But when told that PolitiFact found several of his statements to be “false,” “mostly false,” or “pants in fire,” Mandel said: “I disagree with them. They’re wrong.”

For the complete story, read Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com