Aftab Pureval Dodges Question: Who Instructed Elections Official to Redact Memo Line on Questionable Campaign Check?

Democrat congressional candidate Aftab Pureval was called out by ABC Channel 9’s Tanya O’Rourke for refusing to answer her questions about his campaign’s alleged illegal expenditures.

Watch the clip from Sunday’s This Week in Cincinnati below.

Pureval evaded a direct question when asked who was responsible for instructing elections officials to “completely black-out the memo line” on checks used to pay for polling for his congressional run.

“Did you instruct anyone or did anyone else instruct, I believe it was [deputy elections supervisor] Sally Krisel, to redact that line?” O’Rourke asked.

“The redaction was unacceptable. It should not have happened,” Pureval said. “It won’t happen again.”

“I’m not trying to be a pain here but I don’t believe you answered that question,” said O’Rourke. “Did you, or do you know if anyone else, instructed her to redact that line?”

Asked the same question again, Pureval denied giving the instruction himself but didn’t say who did. He then repeated the same talking points.

“I did not, ah, instruct that redaction, and more to the point it was unacceptable and it won’t happen again,” he said.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Chris Martin issued a statement Monday on the interview.

This is what a campaign in crisis looks like. Aftab Pureval owes OH-01 answers about a widening scandal that could result in criminal charges being placed against him.”

Pureval is running for the District 1 seat held by incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH-1).

Pureval’s campaign is the subject of an investigation by the Ohio Election Commission that alleges he used up to $30,000 donated by his mother to his Hamilton County clerk-of-courts campaign account to pay for services rendered to his congressional campaign. If it turns out that is indeed what happened, Pureval would face fines and possibly even jail time. The charges constitute a felony.

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Anthony Accardi is a writer and reporter for The Ohio Star.

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