Expect the acrimony to continue: The two are facing off in one of the most competitive House races in the nation, for the Seventh District seat that Joe Sestak is giving up to run for the U.S. Senate.
Meehan, a former U.S. attorney from Drexel Hill, aimed to tie Lentz, of Swarthmore, directly to Bonusgate, a corruption scandal that involved state House staffers working on campaigns at taxpayer expense. Many have been investigated, and more charges may come. But Lentz has not been charged or even questioned about Bonusgate since the probe began in 2007.
Meehan, 54, whose campaign had been cautious in tone, attacked Lentz with uncharacteristic flair Wednesday.
"This is a crime scene," the former federal prosecutor said. "From inside this Capitol, a massive and illegal political operation was conducted on state time with taxpayer money."
His campaign said it had new information linking Lentz to Bonusgate, but Meehan's main assertion involved a House staffer who was connected to Bonusgate in 2007 but has not been prosecuted.
Ann Collis, part of the communications team in Harrisburg, worked on Lentz's state House campaign for about a month in 2006. She later received a $9,565 bonus funded by taxpayers for campaign work.
After the news conference, Meehan campaign staff said they had found more than 20 state workers who helped with Lentz's 2006 race and were later linked to Bonusgate.
"The fruit of that poisonous tree goes directly to a number of people, and one of the specific beneficiaries of that poisonous tree was legislator Bryan Lentz," Meehan said. "I want to know what he knew about the conduct of the people on his campaign in that cycle."
