Strickland Campaign – Records Prove Attacks on Kasich’s Past

New records show Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich had business dealings with three Ohio pension funds while at Lehman Brothers in 2002, contrary to campaign statements he had dealt with only two. Kasich's campaign says the records actually prove what they have been saying all along.

A story from the AP says, State Teacher Retirement System employee Alan Muench revealed the telephone pitch, made directly by Kasich, in an e-mail provided to Ohio Democrats after a public records request. Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's re-election campaign released the e-mail Thursday, continuing to criticize the former congressman's years as a managing director at the collapsed Wall Street investment bank.

Kasich had previously acknowledged meet-and-greets he arranged between Lehman officials and two other Ohio funds _ one for public employees and the other for police and fire fighters _ but his campaign said there were no other meetings with governmental entities. He also has said he made no pitches personally.

"With every story that has emerged about Congressman Kasich's time at Lehman Brothers, he has offered an excuse mitigating his responsibility there but he has refused to come clean with Ohioans," said Strickland campaign manager Aaron Pickrell.

Kasich campaign spokesman Rob Nichols said that is not true, calling the Strickland campaign's tactics pathetic.

"Our campaign has been forthcoming about John's contacts with the pensions, disclosed the ones we knew about, and provided the press with information about one they didn't know about," he said. "We have nothing to hide, so attacks about credibility don't wash."

Pickrell said Thursday that one of the Lehman executives introduced to Ohio pension officials by Kasich _ John Dwyer of the firm's Chicago private equity office _ pitched the type of risky and underleveraged "toxic" assets that sparked the national financial crisis to the state teachers' fund just ahead of Lehman's bankruptcy. The historic fall in October 2008 was the largest in U.S. history.

Nichols said the records verify what Kasich has previously said: He set up meetings between Lehman colleagues and Ohio pension funds from which no business resulted.

Click here to read more of this story from the AP.