Josh Mandel, the Ohio state treasurer who happens to be Jewish, is accepting donations from Rich Iott, the failed congressional candidate who happens to be a former Nazi impersonator.
From the Toledo Blade:
The campaign of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a call for him to donate to charity a $1,000 contribution he received from a Lucas County man who portrayed a Nazi soldier in military re-enactments.
Mr. Mandel’s spokesman, Joe Aquilino, said the demand to return or give away the $1,000 contribution from Rich Iott of Monclova Township, the 2010 Republican candidate for the 9th Congressional District, was "a manufactured nonissue" to distract from Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s record.
Mr. Mandel, who is Jewish, is seeking the GOP nomination to run for Senator Brown’s seat in 2012.
The liberal issue advocacy group ProgressOhio said Mr. Mandel should donate the contribution to a charity, such as the Wiesenthal Center or the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Shout out to SWC and to SPLC — do you want this cash?
At the Washington Jewish Week, Adam Kredo is needling Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House speaker, for taking Iott’s cash. Adam’s right to needle, although this surprises me less than Mandel — Boehner effectively campaigned for Iott last year even after the revelations.
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