GOP challenger in key House race blasts Democratic opponent’s explanation of ethics complaint: ‘Not satisfied’

CINCINNATI — Republican House candidate Orlando Sonza blasts his Democratic opponent’s response to an ethics complaint related to securities reporting that he says is not enough to assuage voters’ concerns about the question.

“Absolutely not,” Sonza told Fox News Digital when asked if he thought Ohio voters were satisfied with Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman’s explanation of his stock trading activity that was the subject of under scrutiny in recent days.

“I mean, saying that I’m not responsible for my own stock trading doesn’t hold water. Do you really want this representative representing you in the United States Congress to say, ‘I’m sorry? It’s not me who am.” this balances our budget because I’m not on the budget committee? No, you are responsible for every question that comes before you, as voters would expect. »

Landsman was recently hit by a ethics complaint by a former Commerce Department inspector general accusing him of breaking the law by waiting 20 months to disclose stock transactions, well beyond the mandatory 45-day deadline.

OHIO GOP SENATE CHALLENGER REACTS TO POLLS SHOWING EXCELLENCE IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: “RADICAL LIBERAL”

GOP House candidate Orlando Sonza, left, spoke with Fox News Digital after his latest debate with Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman, right. (Getty Images)

“It was a question of whether stock trades were disclosed or not,” Landsman said during Wednesday’s debate at Xavier University in Cincinnati. “They were all disclosed. I had nothing to do with my transactions. And so I didn’t know about it. Once I found out when we were preparing our financial information, we disclosed it. It was late and it It was wrong. And I took responsibility for it. It happened to maybe 60, 70, 80 members of Congress in the last term, and we put a system in place to make sure it didn’t happen again. more. “

Sonza told Fox News Digital that “the best way to see how someone would act in elected office” is to “look at how they treat their own personal life.”

“Their personal finances, their own life decisions, and that’s a good indicator of how they act when the cameras aren’t on and the doors are closed, and I think you saw that tonight – so no, absolutely not satisfied.”

NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BOUGHT IN OHIO: “VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT”

Orlando Sonza, pictured, is running against Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman.

Sonza also took issue with a comment Landsman made during the debate about his involvement in the “Gang of Five” scandal while serving on the city council, as well as the recent ethics complaint.

“It was a mistake,” Landsman said. “I shouldn’t have done that. In both cases, I immediately took responsibility. Politicians don’t do this often, and certainly not often enough. I took responsibility and evolved. I would encourage you to move forward“.

Sonza, who argued that Landsman would be a continuation of the Biden-Harris agenda in Congress, responded: “I mean, you had a politician who was asked point blank why you broke the law, and his response was, ‘We need to move on.’ No, voters didn’t abandon your membership in the Five Eyes on the Cincinnati City Council or a judge who said voters should never vote for you again, and voters aren’t turning their attention to this newest allegation that my The opponent himself admitted tonight that he violated federal law as a member of Congress by failing to disclose more than 80 stock transactions I mean, that raises so many questions that, unfortunately,. I think voters are now just grabbing them..“

Landsman, who said he did not personally trade the shares, told Fox News Digital in a statement: “We disclosed the trades, but late, and it was resolved. Sonza is desperate. Voters want normal, pragmatic bipartisan leaders like me and they are exhausted by the chaos and extremism of far-right politicians like him.”

Sonza told Fox News Digital that while Wednesday’s debate was civil, it highlighted “stark” contrasts between the two candidates.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Representative Greg Landsman (Getty Images)

“No. 1, there are contrasts on how to solve these big problems that our country has, and it comes down to politics,” Sonza said. “You’ve heard on the one hand that my opponent just seems to be invoking the same rhetoric, the same political rhetoric and the same buzzwords, without really having any substance. The very bills that he’s talking about. … I think we have I was able to highlight why they were wrong for America and why I would have voted differently over the last 20 months and what I would do differently if I were elected So, politically speaking, that it. Whether it was the economy, the southern border, or national security, VA, there were stark policy differences.

The Cook Political Report rates Ohio’s 1st District race as “likely Democratic,” but Republicans have dedicated resources in the race as they seek to protect their slim House majority in a race that could play a key role in determining this outcome. Landsman won by just over five points in 2022.