U.S. 3rd District congressional candidate Marlin Stutzman responded Wednesday to a Facebook e-mail written by former Congressman Mark Souder.
Stutzman said the e-mail was written by Souder and sent Sunday night to Randall Kirkpatrick, Noble County GOP chairman, and Steve Clouse, Noble County prosecutor.
The e-mail Souder sent can be read on the howeypolitics.com Web site.During a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Stutzman said he received the e-mail Monday night from a media outlet in Indianapolis.
Within the four-page e-mail Souder alleges that Stutzman may have not fully disclosed certain campaign finance information relating to Kosciusko County Commissioner Brad Jackson privately flying Stutzman around when he campaigned for the Senate.
Jackson is the husband of Tracy Jackson, whom Souder has admitted to having an affair with. Souder resigned May 21 after admitting to the affair.
Souder also wrote in the e-mail that he believes Stutzman will win the caucus.
Souder also states congressional candidate Ryan Elijah is pressing him, Wes Culver is very qualified, and Randy Borror is limited in potential to grow.
In the e-mail, Souder writes, "Though I am frustrated at Marlin ... he's probably best qualified and basically a very good man for all his over-aggressive ambition."
In one part of the e-mail, Souder said Stutzman knew nothing of the affair and therefore couldn't have blown the whistle on the affair.
In another paragraph of Souder's e-mail he mentions that Stutzman or a political consulting firm leaked information of the affair to Fox News after getting information from Brad Jackson.
"I disagreed with some of the things in the e-mail and they were just not accurate," Stutzman said Wednesday. "I didn't know anything about the affair until I heard rumors the weekend before the primary and the day Souder announced at his press conference he was resigning due to an affair."
Stutzman said he is not hiding anything related to his campaign finances when he ran for the Senate.
He said the second quarter campaign finance report runs from April 1 to June 30. The campaign finance report is not due until mid-July.
"The campaign finances will be fully disclosed then and there is nothing hidden," Stutzman said.
Stutzman said Jackson flew him twice while he was running for Senate, and he said a church friend flew him around Indiana to campaign for the Senate primary election.
Stutzman said Jackson flew him in April to Bloomington for a Lincoln Day Dinner and also to Greenfield to the Hancock County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner during the Senate run.
"I don't know why Souder is inserting himself into the political process right now. He needs to be focusing on his wife and family," Stutzman said Wednesday.
Approximately 520 precinct officials from across the 3rd district will meet at Columbia City High School gymnasium at 10 a.m. Saturday to select the Republican nominee for the congressional seat. The winner will face Democrat Tom Hayhurst in the fall.
The 15 Republican congressional candidates are Borror, Liz Brown, Culver, Greg Dickman, Elijah, Mike Foster, Rachel Grubb, Bob Morris, Lonnie Powell, Joe Schomburg, Stutzman, Bob Thomas, Richard Thonert, Scott Welsh and D.L. Wright.
