Lentz denies corruption charge by opponent

From the Delaware County Daily Times:

Republican Congressional candidate Pat Meehan tried Wednesday to tie his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-161, of Swarthmore, to the "Bonusgate" scandal that has rocked the state Legislature.

But Lentz, who called the attempt "sickening" and "absurd," was also at the press conference Meehan called in the state Capitol Rotunda to swat back any accusations of wrongdoing.

Meehan and Lentz are seeking the 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak, the Edgmont Democrat. Sestak faces former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey in the U.S. Senate race.

Meehan, a former Delaware County district attorney and U.S. Attorney, issued a release Tuesday promising "newly uncovered information that calls into question the fitness of state Rep. Bryan Lentz to run for higher office."

"The evidence and grand jury testimony made public in connection with the Bonusgate trial lead directly to the front door of the Lentz campaign offices," Meehan said Wednesday.

Meehan, of Upper Darby, said Lentz, also a former prosecutor, was a "primary beneficiary" of the scandal in which legislative staff were paid bonuses for political work with taxpayer money because a woman who worked on his 2006 campaign had received a $9,565 bonus.

Meehan, Lentz war of words escalating - The Delaware County Daily Times