Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman hit back Thursday after the campaign of Dr. Mehmet Oz, his Republican opponent, misleadingly accused the Pennsylvania frontrunner of employing two convicted murderers on his staff.
Oz's campaign failed to mention that the brothers, Dennis and Lee Horton, were granted clemency after successfully arguing they were wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder and spent 27 years behind bars.
"This smear is a sad and desperate attack from Dr. Oz's shambolic campaign," Fetterman said in a statement. "Going after two campaign staffers is a new low for Dr. Oz. Dennis and Lee, who were wrongfully convicted, are two of the kindest, hardest-working people I know—fighting for their release was one of the proudest moments of my career and I'm honored to have them on this team."
"Does Dr. Oz believe that the wrongfully convicted should die in prison? Does this man have any compassion?" he asked. "He's making a predictable and fear-mongering attack against two men who spent 27 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit."
Oz's calumny—which came as aggregate polling showed him trailing the Democrat by eight points with just about two months until the November midterm elections—follows another dubious attack in which the TV doctor made comments many observers said mocked Fetterman's recent stroke.
"I survived a stroke. Plenty of others have dealt with health challenges too," Fetterman said Wednesday during a campaign event. "Can you imagine if you had a doctor who mocked you for it?"
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