Republican candidate in PA-10, Tom Marino, has been battling controversy over the supposed existence of a letter from the Department of Justice granting him permission to serve as a reference to a convicted felon. Now, Marino claims that the radio host to which he made the original claim, WILK's Steve Corbett, made it up. Despite Marino's claims, there are available recordings that seem to prove otherwise.
Marino was slammed in The Daily Item's "Cheers and Jeers" column for his changing explanations about the DoJ document. Wilkes-Barre based paper Citizens Voice also weighed in, saying, "The viability of Marino's bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Carney in the November election probably hinges on whether he can regain his footing after his mishandling of the DeNaples question."
The bad press has been mounting. The Associated Press, in an article titled "Pa. candidate changes story on helping felon," reports that "Corbett stands by his reporting" and that Marino now claims he didn't need permission to serve as a reference.
In other district news, an internal poll has incumbent Congressman Chris Carney up eight points over his rival, embattled Republican Tom Marino, 46 to 38.