Bryan Piligra, spokesman for U.S. Congressman Steve Watkins' re-election campaign released the following statement after a motion was filed Wednesday night seeking to disqualify the conflicted Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay and his office from prosecuting against the Congressman:
"Jake LaTurner is a habitual office-seeker, and it's clear now that there is nothing he will not do to advance his political career - including colluding with a corrupt prosecutor and their shared cronies.
"First, we learn about these bogus charges less than 30 minutes before a debate, less than a day before early voting begins, and, coincidentally, right before LaTurner super PAC produced a television ad based on charges that had been public for less than a day. Next, we discover that LaTurner and the corrupt prosecutor share a political consultant, who has been paid thousands of dollars by both of them. Finally, it's exposed that Congressman Watkins won't even get his first day in court until December - perfect timing to maximize the political damage with no opportunity to clear his name.
"All these coincidences lead to one inevitable conclusion: Jake LaTurner colluded with a corrupt prosecutor to file bogus charges to win an election he's losing by more than 20 points. If it looks like a scandal, feels like a scandal, and quacks like a scandal, then it probably is a scandal. Jake LaTurner, his cronies, and the corrupt prosecutor have a lot of questions to answer.
"Payoffs. Collusion. Corruption. Jake LaTurner has taken a page right out of Adam Schiff's playbook. It's the same scheme Democrats ran against President Trump, and it is what Jake LaTurner is ham-handedly trying to do against an American patriot who has dedicated his life to serving our nation. But, like the Democrats, Americans and patriots see right through their amateurish games."
