Kean preparing swift liar campaign film against Menendez (NYT)

Kean Is Preparing a Campaign Film Against Menendez in the Style of a Swift Boat Ad

By JIM DWYER
Published: June 30, 2006

The Republican candidate for the United States Senate in New Jersey, Thomas H. Kean Jr., intends to make a campaign film that accuses his Democratic opponent, Robert Menendez, of "being wrapped up in the rackets for 30 years" despite public records and statements by former federal prosecutors that contradict Mr. Kean's most serious charges.

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Kean campaign officials have sought to erode their opponent's public biography, charging that virtually every moment of Mr. Menendez's career has been mired in graft and bossism. That includes his early days in Union City, where Mr. Menendez has said that he acted to thwart a racketeering scheme involving his own political associates and organized crime figures — a claim that is documented in public records and corroborated by independent authorities.

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Until Mr. Leonardo discussed the proposed film this week, the Kean campaign's role in it had been opaque. During a debate between the candidates on Sunday, Mr. Kean was asked about his involvement in the film, but he did not answer. A spokeswoman for Mr. Kean, Jill Hazelbaker, also said last week that she did not know anything about it. A researcher for the campaign, Chris Lyon, however, had been contacting people who were in Union City in the 1970's and 80's about appearing in the film, including this reporter, who covered events there between 1980 and 1982. Mr. Lyon did not disclose his affiliation with Mr. Kean.

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"A lie is a lie, no matter how many times Tom Kean Jr. repeats it," said Matt Miller, a spokesman for Mr. Menendez. "He already has been exposed as a fraud. He has destroyed his credibility, and he is on a fast track to ruining a respected family name."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/nyregion/30kean.html