Just Making it Up

From the Radogno Campaign

Lemont, IL-State Sen. Christine Radogno, Republican nominee for Illinois treasurer, today called television ads run by her Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias false distortions designed to deflect attention from his refusal to explain loans his bank made to crime figures and asked that he provide proof of his sources or remove his ad from the airwaves.

In a negative ad released yesterday by the Giannoulias campaign, it claims Radogno voted to raise telecom and utility rates by 22 percent and cites a Chicago Sun Times story from Oct. 23. A search on the Sun-Times website found no stories with the words Radogno and utility rates. Nowhere in the only news story on October 23rd that discusses utilities does Radogno’s name appear nor does the story mention a vote by the General Assembly, said Radogno.

“This is simply a desperate distortion by Alexi Giannoulias,” said Radogno. “He is again attempting to deflect attention from the fact that he has refused to answer questions about his involvement in loans he and his family’s bank made to organized crime figures. It’s no coincidence that he chose to run this negative ad at the same time new polls show this race is a dead heat.”

“He has spent millions of dollars and now he’s desperate,” said Radogno. “He’s now resorting to using made up material in television ads. The source he cites never even mentions my name or any specific vote taken by the Senate. This is just fantasy designed to turn people’s attention away from the fact that his own party chairman won’t support him and has asked him to explain his connections to organized crime.”

Democratic State Party Chairman Michael J. Madigan has asked Giannoulias to explain his alleged connections to Mob figures. Giannoulias and his family run Broadway Bank in Chicago have made tens of millions of dollars in loans to organized crime figures including Michael Giorango, a convicted bookmaker and ringleader of a nationwide prostitution enterprise.

“Giannoulias’ distortions are designed to make people forget that he approved these inexcusable loans to convicted felons,” said Radogno. “He hopes he can make people forget about that for one more week so he can buy a Constitutional Office with campaign money from Broadway Bank.” Giannoulias has received millions in campaign contributions from his family and from customers at Broadway Bank, according to state election records.

“This is no smear campaign,” said Radogno. “This is about getting to the truth that he has refused time and again to address. This is about being honest and open with the voters. In my 10 years in the Senate and eight years as a village trustee, I’ve always told the truth to the public. Alexi Giannoulias should try being truthful with the voters instead of openly distorting my unblemished record in cheap attack ads.”

“I ask that Mr. Giannoulias provide my campaign and the media the article in the Sun Times on October 23rd that states I voted for a utility rate increase. If he can not provide this article, I want this ad pulled from the airwaves. I have been in campaigns where votes are taken out of context but never has an opponent just made up a source from the media,” said Radogno.

I checked out Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe too. Nada. It appears to be a straight up lie.

I did a search for the last 10 years and Radogno and utility or utilities. Nada relevant. Electric–no better. 10 articles, but none related to electric utilities. Telephone-nada. Telecom nada. Now, perhaps there is some record I don’t know of in the General Assembly, but if the campaign cites it, I should be able to find it in the cite.