CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Aftab Pureval's Congressional campaign manager has resigned just days before the election.
Pureval released a statement saying the actions of campaign manager Sarah Topy and a few other staff members were "inappropriate". He says those staff members were dismissed.
Those alleged actions have led to Chabot's campaign filing a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission.
According to the complaint, Pureval campaign volunteer named Jack Dohrenwend infiltrated the Steve Chabot for Congress campaign to get "canvassing data and file fraudulent voter contact information". He was reportedly given access to the Republican database used to contact voters.
"They have access to the people we're targeting, the people that we want to talk to. They have access to the questions that we're asking. These are all things that are part of our efforts and not something they should have access to. And this conduct, this illegal conduct, in our opinion, turned all that over to the other side. It's not playing fair," said Hamilton County Republican chair, Alex Triantifilou.
The Republicans said Dohrenwend made it seem like he contacted 62 voters when he, in fact, either never did or he entered bogus information.
The complaint also accused Dohrenwend of attending a Chabot canvassing event on Sept. 23 and asking the Republican about his strategy for the next debate. An Aftab sticker on Dohrenwend's car gave him away, according to the complaint.
The Chabot campaign is seeking sanctions for the Aftab for Ohio campaign, but they did not offer any proof that the Pureval campaign ordered any of this.
Pureval and Chabot are locked in a tight race for the 1st Congressional District seat.
In his staff shake-up, Pureval did not give any reasons other than saying he learned new information Tuesday that led him to believe some staffers did not live up to standards of professionalism and accountability.
Pureval issued this statement Wednesday:
Our campaign holds itself to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability. Yesterday I learned new information that led me to believe that members of my staff may not have lived up to that standard. We have dismissed those staff members. I do not want this issue to be a distraction in the final days, and therefore have accepted the resignation of my campaign manager.
While the actions of a few are inappropriate, I am proud of the campaign we’ve run and the issues we’re fighting for. As a whole, my team is filled with hard-working, dedicated staff and volunteers who are committed to our community and hold themselves to the highest standards. I am confident that in the final days our team is working hard, focusing on the issues that matter to the people of Ohio’s 1st Congressional District and we will win on Tuesday.
Hamilton County's Democratic co-chair Gwen McFarlin said Pureval did the right thing in making the staff changes.
"And if you're the candidate with integrity, the most important thing you want to do, if you feel that perhaps that has been challenged, is to clean house. And I don't know all of the details, but I think knowing Aftab with the level of integrity that he has and his willingness to be accountable and transparent, whatever the decision was and how it was made reflects a lot on the character of Aftab," McFarlin said.
Also on Wednesday afternoon, the local Democrats said a woman who attended a Chabot roundtable about female entrepreneurs is going to file an ethics complaint, saying the congressman improperly mixed politics with what was supposed to be a government event.
A spokesperson for the Chabot campaign says every time Pureval gets in legal trouble, he makes up a bogus charge.