Exclusive — Bernie Moreno on AP Attack: ‘I’m Not Going to Stand By Idly While They Destroy My Reputation’

America First Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno will not “stand by idly” while the Associated Press attempts to destroy his reputation, the Senate hopeful said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily on the eve of the primary election.

The Associated Press (AP) ran with hit pieces on Moreno, claiming that an email address for the Trump-backed Senate candidate “had been used to create an account on Adult Friend Finder back in 2008,” as Breitbart News extensively detailed:

The AP admitted in both of its stories that it did not know if Moreno himself created the account, but the organization cast heavy doubt on team Moreno’s response, which included providing statements from a man who interned for Moreno at the time who admitted to making the account as a prank and from another executive at one of Moreno’s companies confirming that the then-intern had access to Moreno’s email account and his duties included regularly checking it.

The AP used the phrase “geolocation data,” presumably to link the account to Moreno himself, to cast doubt on Moreno’s response to the report. But the AP ultimately admitted to Breitbart News that the organization did not have any “geolocation data” to back up its reports, despite claiming that it did in the articles. However, the AP still stands by the story.

But now, several high profile conservatives — including U.S. senators and attorneys — are wondering if the AP has opened itself up to a lawsuit.

When asked by Breitbart News Daily host Mike Slater how much he could sue the AP for, Moreno responded, “They’re gonna find out soon.”

“I’m trying to find a place in Ohio where the new headquarters for the Associated Press would be because by the time we’re done with them, we’ll own them,” Moreno said.

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“Listen, we got to stand up to this stuff. Mike, if we allow the media to lie and misrepresent like they did here — I’m not going to … stand by idly while they destroy my reputation,” Moreno vowed.

But it gets worse, Moreno said, calling out his opponents for taking the story and running with it, too.

“The fact that they’re willing to compromise their values to smear something that they know is fake tells me, tells you, the voter of Ohio, everything you need to know about these guys. Their lust for power is greater than their moral ethics,” Moreno said, noting that he has received “incredible amounts of negative personal attacks that have been recommended” against his opponent Matt Dolan, regarding his family and marriage.

However, he said he will not do that because it is ultimately not why people should vote for him.

“They should vote for me because they know I’ll fight for them every single day in Washington, DC. They know that I’m in this job to make this country better. They should know that,” Moreno said. “These disgusting, vile personal attacks — both of my opponents should be ashamed of themselves.

FLASHBACK — U.S. Republican Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno: Trump’s ‘Gonna Be Our Nominee’

Jack Knudsen / Breitbart News

 Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

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