Tedisco Sets The Record Straight: Fights Back Against Scott Murphy’S False Accusations And Negative Attacks

National watchdog group says Murphy’s ad is false –Tedisco calls it “Spitzer-esque”

During a press conference held this afternoon at his campaign headquarters in Halfmoon, candidate for the 20th Congressional District, Jim Tedisco (R,C-Saratoga), set the record straight and fought back against the false accusations and negative attacks launched by Democrat Scott Murphy.

Murphy is running a new television commercial that falsely asserts Tedisco “created” a job for a donor. In fact, the position – Chief Counsel to the Assembly Minority Conference – had already existed when Tedisco named respected Schenectady attorney Michael Cuevas as the first Latino American to ever hold the post. Cuevas, who is recognized as one of the state’s foremost experts on labor relations and was appointed to a commission by Democrat Governor Mario Cuomo, also filed the lawsuit that helped stop former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s unlawful plan to give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

“Scott Murphy’s latest attack represents a new low. He made false accusations and negative attacks about my public service record precisely because he doesn’t have one of his own. It’s time to set the record straight about Murphy’s attempt to mislead voters by smearing not just me, but my staff as well,” Tedisco said.

Yesterday, Fact Check.org, a respected national watchdog group that reviews the validity of campaign advertisements from Democrats and Republicans said the following about Murphy’s ad accusing Tedisco of not supporting a cap on compensation for CEOs whose companies received a taxpayer bailout: “Murphy and the DCCC claim that Tedisco won’t say whether he supports capping salaries for executives of companies receiving federal bailout money. That’s false. Tedisco has said that he supports the idea.”

“Just because you made millions on Wall Street doesn’t give you the right to lie about people and smear their good name. Scott, that’s not how it works in Upstate. Here, if you accuse someone, you better have your facts straight – and the guts to say it yourself. Instead, Murphy’s been hiding behind his misleading advertising. His level of dishonesty is ‘Spitzer-esque’ – and we all know how he turned out,” Tedisco stated.

“Scott Murphy is the poster boy for the greed and corruption on Wall Street that’s hurt the folks on Main Street. For the past several weeks, he hasn’t answered a single question about his failure to pay his business taxes, his handing out of bonuses to CEOs whose companies lost money, or his failure to vote in eight elections,” Tedisco said.

“Murphy’s free ride is over. If the media won’t ask him those questions, I will. And I’ll keep asking them every single day until voters get the answers they deserve,” Tedisco said.

“That Scott Murphy is trying to attack me on ethics after he has repeatedly refused to come clean about his murky past, is political hypocrisy redefined. In the Assembly, I haven’t just ‘talked the talk’ about ethics – I’ve ‘walked the walk’ by supporting comprehensive, sweeping reforms to increase openness, transparency and accountability, and decrease the power and influence of the lobbyists and special interests,” Tedisco stated.

“What has Scott Murphy done? Who has he stood up to? Who has he fought for? If Scott Murphy can’t tell it straight as a candidate, how can Upstate voters trust him to fight for them in Congress?” Tedisco asked.

“In Congress, I’ll lead the fight to drain the Washington swamp that’s spawned a culture of cronyism, pay-to-play and shameful corruption. Just as I did against Spitzer, I will stand up, and speak out, for stronger ethics and demand greater accountability from elected officials. I will fight to clean up Congress and make the ‘people’s house’ more responsive and accountable to the people,” Tedisco said.