- The Oz campaign called on Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman to fire "convicted murderers" on his staff.
- Fetterman employs two brothers, Dennis and Lee Horton, who were granted clemency in 2021.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Thursday rejected a "sad and desperate" demand from his rival that he fire from his campaign staff two brothers who were granted clemency after arguing they were wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder.
In 1993, Lee and Dennis Horton were accused of providing a ride to a friend who killed a man at a Philadelphia bar. The brothers, who insisted they were innocent, declined plea bargains that would have seen them released from prison in 5 to 10 years, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and received life sentences instead.
They were ultimately released in 2021 after the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, which Fetterman chairs, unanimously recommended that their sentences be commuted.
The Oz campaign, in a press release Thursday morning, referred to the Hortons simply as "convicted murderers," however, part of a months-long effort to paint their Democratic opponent as lenient on crime.
In a post on Twitter, Oz, who won the Republican nomination for Senate after being endorsed by former President Donald Trump, likewise wrote that the brothers "were convicted in the murder and are now paid by [Fetterman's] campaign." He did not mention that their sentences were commuted after they had served more than 27 years behind bars.
"Going after two campaign staffers is a new low for Dr. Oz," Fetterman said in response. In a statement, he described the Hortons as "wrongfully convicted" and said that fighting for their release "was one of the proudest moments of my career and I'm honored to have them on this team."
The statement noted that the Hortons' release was supported at the time by a top official in the state corrections system. "They just don't belong in prison," Mark Wahl, a deputy superintendent at the Department of Corrections, said in a letter, citing their work behind bars to further the rehabilitation of other detained men.
"Does Dr. Oz believe that the wrongfully convicted should die in prison?" Fetterman continued. "Does this man have any compassion? 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."
A spokesperson for the Oz campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com