Yesterday we saw how Republican nominee in this closely fought South Florida district attempted to hijack a truck carrying a direct mail piece from an opponent attacking him for being a woman beater. Today, the Miami Herald moves the story forward:
The allegation arises from a 1994 petition for a domestic-violence restraining order filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court against one David M. Rivera. The court file has been destroyed -- by law, family court files are not retained after five years -- along with any details or additional identifying information. Only a computer record of the docket is available today.
The restraining order was dropped after a month, and no criminal charges were filed, records show. But inconsistencies in Rivera's responses to the claim in years past and today have helped make it a campaign issue heading into the Aug. 24 Republican primary, a Miami Herald/WFOR-CBS 4 review has found.
"The 1994 case has absolutely nothing to do with me. I am not the David Rivera in that case, and to suggest otherwise is a blatant and shameful lie,'' Rivera said in his statement.
Rivera -- whose middle name is Mauricio -- also said that he has never met the woman who made the 1994 complaint, Jenia Dorticos. Dorticos, who now lives in New York, gave a sworn statement to Rivera's attorneys saying she does not know the politician and that he was not the target of her complaint.
However, a Miami woman who says she is friendly with Dorticos' brother told The Herald that Rivera and Dorticos came to her home as a couple to attend a dinner party about 10 years ago. Dorticos' mother also once worked on one of Rivera's political campaigns, records show. Rivera and Dorticos deny attending the party.
There's more evidence in the story that 1) Rivera is lying, and 2) that he's a serial liar, and a brash one as well (as noted yesterday, he even lied about knowing one of his best friends, despite ample documented evidence to the contrary).
Republicans want to put a serial abuser of women in Congress. We can help elect a good Democrat instead in Joe Garcia:
Contribute to Joe Garcia
Joe Garcia for Congress