Interview: A strong supporter discusses Rich Dennison’s platform and fundraising [UPDATED]

With the exception of trimming off before the intro and after the final goodbye, this interview is raw and unedited.

Interviewed by Jeff Epstein, editor of Citizens’ Media TV

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UPDATE 1/19/2018: Significant concerns about Odea’s statements

Significant concerns remain about Odea’s statements, both in this interview and on Facebook. See the bottom of this article, below the long screenshot, for a new section that addresses this.

UPDATE: 1/16/2018, 4:50 PM

The Dennison campaign has just announced that Odea is now his official campaign spokesperson. He told us privately that it was because of Odea’s performance in this interview.

Original article

Mount Laurel resident Sean P. Odea is an ardent Rich Dennison supporter. Dennison is the newly-announced Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s third congressional district.

Odea talked about why Dennison’s anti-Trump, pro-family platform is impressive, and how Dennison and his family have spent much of their lives helping citizens throughout the district. Odea’s own mother, along with numerous other family members, were laid to rest by the Dennison funeral home.

We also discussed the difficulties recently faced by Odea in a Facebook group that Odea joined in order to discuss the campaign. He quickly became the target of some very emotional responses. He was also accused at one point of asking a question as a disguise to actually try to sow doubt among Kim supporters. Odea strongly denies this and in turn accuses the group – which is promoted as anti-Trump but is otherwise, ostensibly, not affiliated with any candidate – of actually being filled with overzealous Andy Kim supporters: supporters who bullied someone for simply asking a question. Some group members claimed to be extra-sensitive at the time because of a recent incident in a related group with Dennison (as discussed around the 1 hour, 30 minute mark in our recent Dennison interview).

The interview ends with a debate on the different funding strategies of the two campaigns. The Kim campaign has received at least some of their 6,000 donations from people outside of the district, in all 50 states. The Dennison campaign, which has not yet had a significant opportunity to fundraise (in its first 17 days, it has raised $400 from three different donors), claims to have the ability to self-fund, with access to $1 million in the bank and an additional $2.6 million in pending bank loans.

While intense at points, the entire conversation was respectful and pleasant. Unfortunately, Odea was upset by some follow-up questions, resulting in the charged dialogue at the bottom of this article.

Statement by Odea

Odea was given the full audio and near-final article for private preview. He was also given the opportunity to report any factual corrections and provide a statement regarding the interview or any part of the experience. Here is his response, in full:

I am only one man as well as one vote and hold no power or influence. Any thoughts, claims, discussion, or anything else comes from my heart and has no bearing or responsibility on Rich Dennison and or his campaign. I want to clearly state that anything pertaining to myself and my thoughts are independent and I did not comply with any request, order, or mission set forth by the Dennison Campaign. I speak for Sean and Sean only.

It’s important to note that the editor and co creator of this site and the conductor of the interview has a long relationship with the creator of the Facebook page being discussed and hasn’t managed thus far before this statement to explain who brought all of this to him and whether he has vetted them like I have been vetted.

The interview was presented to me to get to the bottom of my treatment by others on the N.J. 3rd Congressional District Action Group and never was explained that it would pertain to some as being viewed as deceptive and a vetting of timelines, locations, dates, etc. Had I known I could have prepared to supply accurate information to support my claims and not be blindsided and have to react while being recorded on dates, locations, interactions, etc. It also should be clear when the interviewer mentions friending Rich I was talking about friending Dennison for congress not Dennison personally. I was essentially stating that I joined the congressional run page when convinced he was the candidate I would likely go with. Someone went on the thread on Dennisons page and added a comment after the fact to create the illusion he was involved in the thread. I’ve been told it would be removed but please be skeptical of what you see and read being that it is incomplete.

It’s clear if you listen to my thoughts in the audio where I stand and why I believe Dennison is the candidate for me. Please note that the editor of this site as well as the conductor of the interview is clearly leaving out important details about his own agenda, relationship, and clearly is an Andy Kim plant and making much to do about nothing. Trying to claim I planted doubt in voters and essentially making claims that the voters in the 3rd congressional District are so dumb that a Facebook post could deter them from determining the candidate that best supports their family and way of life.

To the reader: Use your own judgement and please understand how the interview was conducted and determine for yourself who is misleading and has an agenda and who was simply asking a question?

Please support and follow Rich Dennison and hear what he has to offer you and your family here in the 3rd with funds secured here in the 3rd and determine for yourself who will have to answer to YOU and who may have many out of District obligations to answer to when voting in Congress on your life and your family and your taxes and your ability to survive in NEW JERSEY.

Lastly, please pay close attention to the many false claims, misrepresentation of fact, and participation in the very accusations I’ve been accused of in the very heart or root of this audio and message. Please see that many opinions without basis of fact are represented as fact when it pertains to the interviewers “opinions” of Andy Kim. Please notice that NOONE else was vetted in this experiment and realize through this that it’s misleading Washington D.C. political garble failing at best. What’s the fear in hearing everyone and determining who has your best interest at heart?

Be well be blessed!

This had to added after I viewed the final edit of Mr Epsteins report. I viewed his screen shots of the thread on Rich Dennisons Facebook page and asked why were two comments made by me left out of the screen shot that were clearly within minutes of his friend Dave Williams (the creator of the site I was bullied on) and two of my comments from the same time frame were excluded? We went round and round with Mr Epstein choosing careful words by sayings he did not edit the photo. I agree he did not edit the photo but his selective photography boggles my mind. Why not include a full depiction of the incident and facts? There will be an addendum added with the actual end of the thread photos of relevant inclusive comments pertaining to the discussion last night. There was attempt to add in comments that were, placed there later the next morning,’ disparaging to Mr Dennison that were included but my last two comments before mysteriously were not included. If we seek the truth here and are looking for accuracy or deceit then please be accurate in your presentation and not deceitful! The comment are to be added as an addendum but only because of my pointing out the inaccuracy.

Responses:

• Citizens’ Media TV interviewed Dave Williams last year, and we have encountered him at several events we have since covered.
• We took our final screenshot last night at 1:15 AM last night. That is the one seen below. Mr. Odea added his two comments soon after. We took another screenshot at 12:45 pm the next day (today, the day of publication). Mr. Odea was unsatisfied with both of these versions, because they did or did not include comments he felt were important. We agreed on using the 1:15 AM version, with the addition of his own screenshots as an addendum (located at the very bottom of this article).

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Below is the full dialogue as of January 16, 2018, at 1:15 AM. The top-most comment by the author (Jeff Epstein) was submitted the day before this interview was conducted.

Here are two additional comments missing from the above screenshot, as captured by Mr. Odea. They both occurred soon after the above screenshot was captured:

Here is the full text of Odea’s two comments from immediately above:

Dave Williams that’s because you’ve never created anything. You’ve never built a business. If your company that you work for dissolves tomorrow you go somewhere else and tele-market. (I’m on a do not call list btw…not interested) You have no idea what it takes to keep a business going in a community and serve people’s needs. Show where Andy Kim has either? You can be a public servant in many ways not only politics and if you knew the Dennison family then you’d understand quality people of service to the community. You’re a loser agitator with no facts.

Dave Williams sure doesnt seem like you’re letting people think for themselves or you wouldn’t run your Facebook pages or your mouth the way you do. You are weak and scared and a telephone tough guy who insults, manipulates, and lies. Show how happy you are to let people judge for themselves and open all your FB groups up to the public and don’t erase comments and ban people and allow dialogue and substance otherwise shut your mouth and leave me and the good candidate alone. I learned a work today from Epstein it’s “troll”! Found your guy Epstein it’s yours and Andy’s pal Dave Williams

UPDATE 1/19/2018: Significant concerns about Odea’s statements

Based on the below two posts, Dennison appointed Odea to be his campaign’s “Chief Spokesperson.” Dennison told us in a private message that this decision was based on Odea’s performance in our interview.

full-res

full-res

Significant concerns remain about Odea’s statements, both in this interview and on Facebook. The first is as described in a followup question posed to Odea. We have not yet received a response:

Screetshot containing followup question. This is part of the long screenshot above

The second pertains to Odea’s residency. Odea has stated both on Facebook, and reiterated in our interview, that he lives in Mount Laurel – and therefore a constituent of Dennisons’. Although not yet definitively disproven, we have received a number of screenshots from Kevin Kennedy that strongly suggest that Odea lives in Pennsylvania. Both Dennison and Odea have strongly criticized the portion of Andy Kim’s donations that come from out of district. Of course, there is nothing unusual about having a campaign staff member from out of the district. The concern is whether or not the truth is being told.

Dennison also states in his announcement that Odea is “a lifelong Burlington County resident.”

Given these concerns, we asked the campaign to clarify Odea’s position. Here is Dennison’s response:

We are currently restructuring our campaign staff, Mr. Odea remains an important member of that staff but at this time we have no further comment regarding individual roles in the campaign

January 16 5:20 p.m. (Full-res)

January 17 12:30 a.m. (Full-res)

Screenshots of Odea’s Facebook profile before and after his interview with Citizens’ Media TV. (Received from Kevin Kennedy.)

Comments deriving from the same Facebook thread, posted January 8th, 2018, in the group “indivisible nj 3rd congressional district”.

(The following screenshots were received from Kevin Kennedy.)

Property record

PA Voter Record

NJ Voter Record