Ohio Elections Commission to Hear Schmidt v. Krikorian “Blood Money” Case
[ 2009/09/30 | 14:44 ]The Miami Herald reports that the Turkish “blood money” case alleging that Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) accepted $30,000 in Turkish contributions in exchange for opposing an Armenian genocide resolution will be heard by the Ohio Elections Commission tomorrow.
The case, known as Schmidt v. Krikorian, began when David Krikorian, Schmidt’s challenger, accused the incumbent of knowingly accepting the hush money at a February 2008 event at a restaurant called Cafe Istanbul, where participants included Turkish Coalition of America President Lincoln McCurdy.
If the commission decides that Krikorian lied or spoke with “reckless disregard” for the truth or falsity of his statements, commissioners could reprimand him or forward the case for possible criminal prosecution under an Ohio “false statement” law.
“This is not an acceptable way to campaign; you can’t just run out and accuse people of taking bribes,” Bruce Fein, an attorney with the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, said Tuesday.
“I’m not a student of history, and I’m still trying to figure it all out,” Schmidt repeated several times during an Aug. 24 deposition, adding that, “I wasn’t there.”
Krikorian, who ran as an independent last year but has since identified himself as a Democrat, claimed that Schmidt’s opposition to the Armenian genocide resolution was tied to her campaign contributions.
