Dertinger Denounces Opponent's Attack Ads

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14 – Congressional candidate Charles Dertinger
spoke to reporters this morning at the Northampton County Courthouse
in response to multiple inaccuracies in a TV ad launched last week by
his Republican opponent, Charlie Dent.

"Charlie Dent is again running a TV spot that uses
misinformation and distorted facts, this time to attack me
personally," Dertinger said. "This TV spot is wrong on the facts and
sadly shows my opponents willingness to misinform and mislead the
voters in this district."

The attack ad from Republican Rep. Charlie Dent claims Dertinger
has "been closely tied" to a county official who was found guilty in
2002 of illegal activities in his professional dealings and suggests
that Dertinger himself was involved in campaign finance improprieties.

"The only place I've been closely linked to this official is in
Charlie Dent's TV spot," Dertinger said during the press conference.
"The individual in question was someone I hired briefly back in 1999
as a campaign-mailing consultant, and I met with him less than five
times. End of story."

Dent and his campaign ignored an invitation from Dertinger to
join him in signing a Clean Campaign Pledge in early August, which
called for both candidates to run a substantive, issue-oriented
campaign that refrained from misrepresenting or distorting the
opponent's positions, record or qualifications. Dertinger said he now
knows why Dent refused to reply to the pledge.

"Charlie Dent's new TV spot is a sad attempt to distract voters'
attention from the culture of corruption that my opponent was part of
in Washington," said Dertinger, who then called for Dent to explain
why he accepted money from Tom DeLay's PAC, now defunct in the wake of
the former congressman's corruption charges.

Earlier this month, Dent used another TV spot to distort his own
record. Among the claims made in the ad, Dent said he never voted
himself a pay raise while in office; however, the Congressman voted
himself an annual pay increase of several thousand dollars as part of
an appropriations bill passed in June.

"The kind of negative ad launched by Charlie Dent last week is
disturbing for reasons that go beyond just this Congressional race,"
Dertinger said. "We have several issues facing senior citizens and
working families, a need for a new direction in our occupation in
Iraq. I know that we can do better for the people of the Lehigh
Valley."