Ohio Democratic Party

06/13/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Clevelanders “Can’t Trust Bernie Moreno” After “Nonstop Lies” and “Phony Persona”

Clevelanders "Can't Trust Bernie Moreno" After "Nonstop Lies" and "Phony Persona"

June 13, 2024

Pants-On-Fire Tour Comes To Cleveland

Cleveland, OH - This morning in Cleveland, Ohio State Representative Phil Robinson, Cleveland Teachers Union Local 279 President Shari Obrenski, and SEIU Local 1199 retiree Lynn Radcliffe slammed Bernie Moreno for lying to and disrespecting Ohioans. Representative Robinson, Obrenski, and Radcliffe highlighted the "string of inconsistencies" from Moreno on the campaign trail and the lies he is telling in a "calculated" attempt to reinvent himself to appeal to voters.

"Clevelanders can't trust Bernie Moreno to look out for us because he's too busy lying to our faces," said Ohio State Representative Phil Robinson. "Whether it's falsely taking the credit for bringing 5G to Cleveland or lying about shutting down Cleveland State's Confucius Institute, we can't trust Moreno to tell the truth - much less fight for us."

"Time and again, Bernie Moreno betrayed workers to help himself and then lied about it," said Shari Obrenski, President, Cleveland Teachers Union, Local 279. "He destroyed evidence to try to get out of paying his employees overtime, sold Chinese-made cars at the expense of Ohio's auto workers, and lied about all of it. Ohio workers won't fall for Moreno's lies because it's clear he is only out for himself."

"Bernie Moreno is trying to pretend he's someone he's not to win Cleveland voters," said Lynn Radcliffe, SEIU Local 1199 retiree. "His nonstop lies and his phony persona are insulting and they can't hide the truth: Moreno is a liar who only looks out for himself."

Click here to view photos and recordings from today's press conference for media use.

What Ohioans Need To Know About Bernie Moreno's Lies:

1. Moreno lies about shutting down Cleveland State's Confucius Institute while serving on the university's board - but Columbus Dispatch reporting revealed that the Confucius Institute operated for years after Moreno's tenure and Moreno approved multiple budgets that funded the Institute. Watch him lie to Ohioans here:

2. Moreno takes the credit for bringing 5G wireless to Cleveland, but the Ohio Capital Journal found that "the record, however, tells a different story" and 5G's rollout happened thanks to "infrastructure improvements [AT&T] was already planning."

3. The New York Times exposed Moreno's phony "riches-to-rags-to-riches," "only-in-America bootstraps story" as a "calculated process of self-creation."

4. Moreno repeatedly lies and says he never sold the Chinese-made Buick Envision - an SUV that was always made in China - but Spectrum News found that Moreno sold the car for years and "promoted the vehicles" in numerous ads, including in a customer testimonial.

5. Moreno claims that he came to the United States from Colombia to "escape" socialism but reporting from The Guardian found that Moreno's lies "do not withstand historical scrutiny."

6. Moreno is lying about his business origin story, claiming he built his car dealership business "all on his own" and without "handouts" - in reality, Business Insider reported that Moreno received an insider deal to purchase his first dealership at a "dramatically reduced price."

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