Mass. Governor Hopeful: GOP Offered $1 Million Bribe To Quit Race
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Tea party-affiliated candidate Mark Fisher is claiming state GOP committee members tried to bribe him with $1 million to drop his campaign for governor.
"Last December, the Mass. GOP came to me and offered me $1 million to drop out of the race for governor," Fisher announced on Thursday during a press conference.
Fisher said two state party officials were involved in allegedly attempting to bribe him.
"My first reaction was 'this is a bribe. This is illegal. This can't be done.' And my second reaction was 'they have no clue why I'm running,'" he said.
Fisher refused to name the people he is accusing, saying his attorney advised against doing so.
But he called on the state Attorney General's office to investigate.
Republican Party chair Kirsten Hughes said it was Fisher who approached the party for $1 million dollars to abandon his lawsuit.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
Fisher also said Thursday he is pressing his lawsuit against the Massachusetts Republican Party, demanding they certify him as a candidate for governor and pay him damages.
Fisher said the party must also release tally sheets from their state convention. He says they'll show an effort to deny him needed votes.
Fisher said he wouldn't accept a deal that didn't put him on the ballot.
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