Democratic candidate John Laesch rips GOP tactics
By Steve Lord
Staff Writer
GENEVA — John Laesch cleared the air about his voting record Thursday.
Laesch, a Newark resident who is the Democratic Party's candidate for Congress running against Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of Yorkville, said the air needed clearing because Republicans supporting Hastert have lied about how he has cast his votes.
"Folks, a voting record is public information and should be obtainable by either political party or campaign," Laesch said. "For some reason, the Republicans found it easier to make up a false voting record and use a pack of lies to attack my background."
Laesch released his records at a press conference in front of Kane County Republican headquarters on State Street in downtown Geneva. Standing about a half-block down watching the proceedings were members of the Young Republicans, the organization Laesch singled out as trying to smear him through some recent letters to the editor in area newspapers.
He mentioned one in particular written by Brandon Yaniz of Elgin and published in The Courier-News, which said Laesch had not voted in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004. Yaniz is a member of the Kane Young Republicans and attended Hastert's swearing in ceremony as Speaker of the House in 2005.
"I just wanted to let it be known that these are Hastert's friends," Laesch said.
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06/16/06
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/city/3_1_EL16_A3LAESCH_S1.htm