The next article was initially printed on News5Cleveland.com and is printed within the Ohio Capital Journal beneath a content-sharing settlement. Not like different OCJ articles, it isn’t obtainable at no cost republication by different information shops as it’s owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
Congressional candidate J.R. Majewski nonetheless hasn’t offered definitive proof he’s an Afghanistan fight veteran, and Ohio Republicans are urging him to talk up if he’s telling the reality — particularly as paperwork casting doubt on different elements of his story have surfaced.
The backlash continues to develop after navy paperwork obtained by the Related Press don’t inform the story that Majewski has been sharing on his marketing campaign path.
RELATED AP: Ohio GOP Home candidate has misrepresented navy service
The AP revealed that he has no document of combating within the nation, however was truly about 1,600 miles away in Qatar loading planes.
Majewski gained the Republican main for Ohio’s ninth congressional district, which has elements of Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie counties.
His navy expertise reveals he was deployed however far-off from any fight. He spent six months in Qatar loading planes, which Shields stated is a helpful job however positively not fight.
“Anybody insinuating I didn’t serve in Afghanistan is mendacity,” Majewski stated throughout a rally Friday.
Majewski’s marketing campaign reached out to supply an interview with a service member who will allegedly say Majewski served in Afghanistan. The dialogue could be performed with the situation that OCJ doesn’t reveal who this particular person is. At this level, OCJ declined that interview as a result of it doesn’t attain the station’s journalistic customary for anonymity.
OCJ requested for extra info, similar to a supervisor who was stationed in Afghanistan whose information show that they had been bodily there, or for an on-camera interview with full documentation, however these requests weren’t answered by the Majewski marketing campaign.
Whereas some Veterans round Ohio have been talking out in opposition to this, Ohio GOP politicians have been fairly quiet about this, till now.
RELATED: Ohio navy veterans condemn J.R. Majewski’s alleged misrepresentation of navy expertise
“It’ll be as much as him to, you realize, get the information on the market,” Ohio Republican Sec. of State Frank LaRose advised OCJ Wednesday.
He stated this isn’t the primary time LaRose needed to take care of veterans allegedly falsifying information. He was a U.S. Army Special Forces Inexperienced Beret, which is a extremely prestigious guerrilla warfare knowledgeable.
One of many males in his outdated unit, who wasn’t a Inexperienced Beret however was nonetheless within the military, ended up being investigated and was caught falsifying his document, resulting in him being “put out” of the navy, he stated.
“They name that stolen valor,” LaRose stated. “When individuals do this, it’s a shameful factor to do.”
He referred to as this conduct “crooked,” which is why LaRose says Majewski, if he’s telling the reality, must share the proof now and clear his title.
“I hope that he’s in a position to get the information on the market and get the data on the market,” the secretary stated.
LaRose is attempting to have a look at the state of affairs semi-optimistically for the GOP candidate, noting that the Toledo-hopeful has assured him he isn’t mendacity.
“He regarded me within the eye and he stated, ‘I did serve in Afghanistan and we’re going to get the data on the market,’” LaRose stated. “I’ll go away it as much as him to do this.”
However after the interview with LaRose was performed, the AP launched a brand new investigation that alleges this wasn’t the one factor Majewski had not advised the reality about.
RELATED: Information contradict Majewski’s account of navy punishment
Majewski completed his service only one rank above the place he began, which quite a few veterans OCJ reached out to stated is a rarity for a traditional navy profession. Majewski’s staff initially advised AP this was due to a combat he bought into with one other airman, however information present that he truly was demoted for drunk driving and is ineligible to re-enlist.
“This error is now greater than 20 years outdated. I’m certain we’ve all performed one thing as younger adults that we glance again on and marvel ‘what was I considering?’ and I’m certain our dad and mom and grandparents share these sentiments,” Majewski advised the AP journalists.
Air Drive veteran and state Home Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) was one of many many veterans to talk out in opposition to this crime.
“A demotion whereas on energetic obligation is a uncommon and critical punishment for a criminal offense or wrongdoing, and provides to an more and more troubling sample we’re studying with Majewski,” Weinstein stated. “His law-breaking whereas in uniform, mixed along with his misrepresentations of his service and his efforts to overthrow our democratic elections and violate the structure he swore to guard make him wholly unfit for workplace.”
The Democrat is referencing how Majewski has been identified to observe QAnon theories and was on the U.S. Capitol in the course of the revolt on Jan. 6, 2021, nevertheless, the Republican candidate has adamantly denied breaching the doorway.
It’s very clear that Majewski is a vet, however whether or not he was in fight is unknown to LaRose.
As a Inexperienced Beret, LaRose did preserve a top-secret clearance and went on labeled missions.
But when Majewski had “admitted” to being a fight soldier in Afghanistan solely beneath labeled missions, wouldn’t that even be breaking that top-secret clearance? LaRose stated he isn’t certain of the specifics of this case, however did reply the hypothetical.
“Merely saying {that a} factor is assessed doesn’t essentially represent a breach until you’re truly releasing the data that’s labeled,” he stated. “If one thing is assessed, then you definitely, as somebody who doesn’t have a clearance, won’t learn about it. But when it’s not, then you’ll be able to. And it’s simply that easy.”
OCJ reached out to his staff for remark, however as soon as OCJs Statehouse reporter Morgan Trau stored asking for extra info relating to their nameless supply, their spokesperson stopped responding.
“It’s good that folk examine this sort of factor,” LaRose stated. “And, you realize, the information finally come out.”
Observe WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Fb.
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