COLUMBUS, OH– Candidate for Ohio’s second district House seat in 2010 David Krikorian stands by his claims that current Congresswoman Jean Schmidt denies the genocide of 1.5 million Christians in Armenia despite Schmidt’s attempt to intimidate him with an Ohio Elections Commission complaint.
“I stand by everything my campaign did during the 2008 election, but this frivolous complaint isn’t about the 2008 election. It’s about the 2010 election. She’s so threatened that she has to start campaigning against me 18 months in advance,” stated Krikorian Thursday after the OEC voted to bring the case to a full committee hearing in the summer.
Krikorian announced his campaign against Schmidt for 2010 as a Democrat just three weeks ago after running against Schmidt in 2008 as an independent and receiving the highest percentage of votes for an independent candidate in any House race that year. Schmidt received the lowest percentage of votes of any Representative in Congress in 2008.
Schmidt filed the complaint about a flier Krikorian circulated during the 2008 campaign that stated, “Representative Jean Schmidt has taken $30,000 in blood money to deny the genocide of Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks.”
Krikorian’s flier referenced Schmidt’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide while she leads the US Congress in donations from Turkish interest lobbyists the TurkishAmerican Heritage PAC and the Turkish Coalition USA-PAC.
There’s neither a significant Turkish constituency in the second district to justify Congresswoman Schmidt leading the Congress in donations from those Turkish interest PACs, nor is there a significant Armenian constituency to protest her position and acceptance of the PAC money.
“It’s easy money for Congresswoman Schmidt,” claimed Krikorian. “But, it’s morally reprehensible.”
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland recognized the slaughter of Christians in Armenia as genocide in 2007, and former US President Ronald Reagan did so in 1981. Though current President Barack Obama promised to recognize the genocide on the campaign trail, he has yet to do so in office.
Krikorian’s grandparents escaped the Armenian Genocide before emigrating to the United States.
“The 2010 Krikorian campaign to replace Schmidt will be about fiscal responsibility that strengthens the dollar and moral clarity and courage,” stated Krikorian. “Congresswoman Schmidt claims she doesn’t have the information to call the slaughter of 1.5 million Christians in Armenia “genocide”. There’s no excuse for her to remain willfully ignorant when the information is readily available. I call on her to join with the 121 other Representatives to co-sponsor House Resolution 252 to recognize the genocide. If she chooses to remain ignorant of the Genocide in order to deny it, we have to ask whether she has the moral courage and clarity to represent the second district.”
I watched a pre election debate,D.Krikorian was a lot smarter and to the point.Scmidt did not have clue of what was going on,Strictly a stooge for the down-sliding republicans.The payoff money from the turks,I believe she on the take.The turks are noted for taking and giving bribes,Its called backsheesch…