Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald is answering questions about how police found him in a car talking to a female friend in middle of the night two years ago. FitzGerald has some questions of his own. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
Ed FitzGerald says he was one of two designated drivers with a visiting Irish delegation in 2012. FitzGerald says the two cars got separated around 4 a.m. so he pulled over while the woman riding with him tried to call the group female tried to call the group. FitzGerald says a Westlake police officer stopped to see why they were in the parking lot, but left after finding out there was nothing wrong. He says Republican operatives working for Gov. John Kasich are behind a records request that turned up the stop, in which no citations were issued, to raise innuendo.
“That’s why we are here….something two years ago that nobody was talking about, that didn’t result in anything and now, on all day of days, coincidentally , on the same day we are talking about law enforcement, that the Fraternal Order of Police makes their endorsement. …that’s the day it comes out. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out why that happened in that way.”
The President of the Ohio F O P, Jay McDonald, says he called the officer who was listed in the report to see what happened that night. McDonald says the officer said there was no evidence wrong doing of any kind.
“No crimes were committed. Nothing inappropriate was happening. That’s what the officer told me. Because I wouldn’t be here today if I thought any of those things were taken place. If the officer was mistreated, I wouldn’t be here today. Certainly Mr. FitzGerald didn’t call that officer an idiot for doing this job.”
That last statement refers to the comment Kasich made early on as Governor when he called an officer an idiot while speaking to a group. Kasich later apologized. Now FitzGerald wants an apology from Kasich. FitzGerald says Kasich’s campaign leaders have been trying to find something to tarnish his name. And the Democrat says they have even been looking into his family. Calls placed to the Ohio Republican Party to get comment on FitzGerald’s assertions have not been returned.
