A member of the Kansas House was slapped on election fraud charges Tuesday about half an hour before taking the stage in a primary Republican debate.
“I have done nothing wrong,” representative Steve Watkins said in the debate, sponsored by Topeka’s NBC affiliate KSNT, calling the timing of the charges “very suspicious” and “very political.”
“I am eager to clear my name. I have done nothing wrong and I hope to set the record,” he said.
Watkins said he had not yet seen the charges, which Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced shortly before Watkins’ debate against his two challengers, the Kansas media reported.
“This is clearly hyperpolitical,” said Watkins.
The first question of the night, posed to the three challengers, was: “What is your response to the charges?”
Watkins, who was charged with three felony counts and one misdemeanor charge, is charged with having used a UPS Topeka store as his registration address for the 2019 school board and local city election and voting in the district. wrong of the Municipal Council.
Watkins later listed the address of an apartment complex about 2 miles north of the UPS store as his residence, then corrected his voter registration form in mid-January to list an apartment number.
“As soon as I realized that he had put my mailing address in place of my physical address, we fixed it,” Watkins said in the debate, adding that he had cooperated with the prosecutor’s investigation.
Watkins is an honorary state co-president for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, who has often complained about electoral fraud.
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Bryan Piligra, a spokesman for the Watkins campaign, said of the charges: “Give us a break.”
“Thirty minutes before the first televised debate and the day before early voting begins, the district attorney, who shares a political consultant with our main opponent, Jake LaTurner, files these false charges. They couldn’t have been more political if they did. will try. ” Piligra said.
“Like President Trump, Steve is being politically prosecuted by his opponents who cannot accept the results of the last election.”
Kagay, a Republican, said the investigation was significantly delayed by coronavirus closings, KSNT reported.
The district attorney’s office did not respond to a comment call.
Associated Press contributed
