Posted on 03/14/2012 7:28:33 AM PDT by raccoonradio
LYNN — U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, called Republican opponent Richard Tisei a "desperate candidate" and linked him to a GOP website highlighting legal troubles faced by Tierney's in-laws involved in gambling.
"If this is the way Tisei wants to operate, it's bankrupt," he said in an interview following a discussion with Saugus seniors Tuesday morning.
He added: "Most voters don't want to talk about what my brother-in-law did, they want to talk about jobs."
Not so, Tisei said Tuesday, adding he thinks voters are interested in Tierney's in-laws' legal problems.
"Voters are looking at him," Tisei said.
Tierney's brother-in-law Daniel Eremian was convicted last December in federal court for racketeering and running an illegal gambling business. Another brother-in-law, Robert Eremian, allegedly ran an illegal online gambling business in Antigua, according to an Associated Press report published last December.
Tierney's wife, Patrice, pleaded guilty in 2010 to aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns on behalf of her brother, Robert. She served 30 days in 2011 in a federal prison and was also sentenced to house arrest.
"This was difficult what my family went through," Tierney said Tuesday, adding, "A judge very clearly said I had nothing to do with it. It's clear I had no involvement."
Saugus senior Lila Boivin took Tierney's side Tuesday.
"He's not responsible for what his family does; there is always one bad apple," she said.
The National Republican Congressional Committee site highlights the gambling charges and asks a new question of the Sixth District Congressman every day.
The site is www.howcouldtierneynotknow.com and it includes a link to a November 2011 Boston Herald article outlining court testimony by a woman who said she saw John and Patrice Tierney dining at "gambling enterprise offices" run by Robert and Daniel Eremian in Antigua.
John Tierney said the location described was actually "a modest house in a modest neighborhood."
He said Robert Eremian at the time was under federal probation, stemming from a prior offense.
"Probation signed off on Robert Eremian as did a federal judge," he said.
Tisei, a former Republican state legislator, is challenging Tierney in the November final election to determine which man will represent the Sixth Congressional District stretching from Saugus to the New Hampshire line.
Tierney on Tuesday said Tisei, if elected, will vote in line with Republican Party leaders, including U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). He dismissed Tisei's claim, published in The Daily Item on March 9, that Tierney voted "99 percent of the time" with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
"If by that he is saying voting for education access is bad or health care and tax cuts, he can take that position. Ultimately the question is, 'Did you vote in the interest of your district?' For me the answer is 'yes,'" Tierney said.
Tisei on Tuesday said his congressional campaign revolves around Tierney's record and the "different direction" Tisei wants to take.
"I have a record showing I've been an independent-minded legislator. He (Tierney) doesn't vote district first, he votes the party line," he said.
Tierney told more than 30 people gathered at the Saugus Senior Center that his campaign "is all about the economy." He said he will help sponsor in a week or two legislation reauthorizing federal job creation programs. Tierney said the program helped recruit newly trained machinists to fill jobs left vacant by retiring General Electric workers.
"GE is just scooping them up. Now I have other industries asking, 'What about us?'" he said.
Tierney promised his mostly older audience that "Social Security is solvent through 2037, according to experts." He took credit Tuesday for ensuring the Affordable Care Act federal health care insurance reform legislation requires 80 cents or more of every health care dollar be spent on care instead of administration.
Saugus Council on Aging Chairman Richard Barry Tuesday credited Tierney with helping secure federal funding to buy five small senior transportation buses.
"We got a lot of support from his office," Barry said.
Lindsay Lohan too I bet.
Indeed! I take Drago by 5th round TKO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.