Block Blasts Fung Over Lying About Deepwater Wind Contributions

Block Blasts Fung Over Lying About Deepwater Wind Contributions

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Block has blasted opponent Cranston Mayor Allan Fung for lying on the Dan Yorke Show on WPRO about not receiving contributions from individuals associated with the Deepwater Wind deal. 

On Yorke's show, Fung denied having received donations from people involved in the Deepwater Wind deal, saying, “I’ve met with the people not on Deepwater, but on the Deepwater opposition.  I’ve actually tried to get in touch with them, like Jeff Grybowski [CEO of Deepwater Wind], but I never heard from him.”

Block's camp, however, said that campaign finance reports show that Fung received $7,325 from individuals associated with Deepwater Wind, including $1,350 from Grybowski between 2007 and 2012. 

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"This is exactly what is wrong with politics in Rhode Island," said Block. "If you can't answer a questions truthfully, you shouldn't be in public office."

“There is an ongoing pattern of Mayor Fung distorting the facts,” Block continued. “Rhode Island Republican primary voters want honesty. They want to see a race focused on the issues. Insider politicians think that the truth does not matter, but voters in this state are sick and tired of being lied to.”

Fung Camp Responds

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Block campaign is obviously lashing out because we just received the party endorsement and Republicans are not buying what Mr. Block is selling," said Patrick Sweeney, Campaign Manager for Fung.

"Mayor Fung only received contributions from one employee of Deepwater, which is completely irrelevant because he never supported Deepwater Wind, unlike his opponent, Ken Block. Yet again, Mr. Block has flip-flopped on another issue and is trying to pander to Republicans. Since he switched parties because of the results of a poll, he’s flip-flopped on ObamaCare, Deepwater and Guns. Obviously Rhode Island Republicans can’t trust Ken Block," Sweeney continued.

Block campaign spokesperson Jeff Britt said that he believed the situation "was bigger than Deepwater, or anything else." Britt noted that the balance of the campaign contributions came from employees at Hinckley, Allen, Snyder, the law firm for Deepwater.

"When the Mayor was asked specifically by Buddy Cianci, "Do you have recent polling?" and he said "No" twice, and then his campaign manager said that they did, and they retracked, that's a small issue," said Britt.  "Then the Mayor brought up Deepwater Wind with Dan Yorke, who asks him if he had been given donations by anyone backing Deepwater Wind, and he says, "No," when he did -- we find this to be a problem."

"At what point do we as voters say "I'd vote for a politician who's lying" and expecting change?" said Britt.  "People might say they're little questions, OK, but what does that say about you if you can lie about those?  As far as I'm concerned, Mayor Fung has lost his ability to run for office."