By: E&P Staff and The Associated Press Congressman John Sweeney says a report that his wife called an emergency dispatcher in December saying he was "knocking her around the house" is fake and part of a political smear campaign.
Neither Sweeney nor his wife denied she called police but both said there was no violence that night. Gaia Sweeney, 36, said newspaper reports on a 911 call were based on a concocted document.
The Albany Times Union said it obtained a document state police have refused to make public. Police contend that making such documents public would violate a person's privacy because no arrest was made. Newsday and New York's Daily News also reported on the case on Wednesday.
According to the document, Gaia Sweeney told a trooper her husband had grabbed her by the neck and was pushing her around the house.
Sweeney spokeswoman Melissa Carlson said the congressman and his wife would send a notarized letter to the state police Thursday allowing them to release the document. The 51-year-old Republican is facing a tough challenge from Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.
The Times Unin reports on Thursday that earlier this week, "State Police declined to verify the authenticity of the document. There is no policy that prohibited the agency from doing that.
"State Police officials also declined to say whether they have initiated an internal investigation into who may have accessed the sealed file. The document leaked to news agencies apparently contained an accurate 7-digit incident number and also the name of the trooper who investigated the call. Those details were never publicly released.
"Last December, law enforcement sources told the Times Union a trooper had been summoned to the Sweeney's home because of a domestic dispute. The sources said the congressman had scratches visible on his face, but provided no other details."
A Times Union blog tonight posted a response from Sweeney's election foe, Gillibrand: ?It is Mr. Sweeney?s word versus that of numerous police sources and trusted local news organizations across our region. In five days voters will get to decide which they trust.
"Multiple sources have made it clear that police responded to a domestic violence incident reported from Mr. Sweeney?s home in December. This is about John Sweeney?s behavior, his history of lies, his arrogance and bullying.?
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