Debbie Wasserman Schultz campaign responds to Tim Canova’s FEC complaint

A spokesman for South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz says Tim Canova’s complaint with the Federal Election Commission has no merit.

On Monday, Canova, the Democrat challenging Wasserman Schultz in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District in this month’s Primary Election, filed a complaint with the FEC, alleging Wasserman Schultz illegally utilized the resources with the Democratic National Committee to undermine his campaign. Canova said the DNC emails released last month by WikiLeaks — which forced Wasserman Schultz to step down from her role as chair of the DNC — reveal she was working to stop his campaign.

“There is no merit to this complaint, and once again, the Congresswoman’s opponent is wasting her constituents’ time with attacks based on stolen, cherry-picked information and continues to ignore the issues that actually matter to the people of the 23rd Congressional District,” said Ryan Banfill, a spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz, in an email sent to FloridaPolitics late Monday night. “The Congresswoman’s opponent may have little familiarity with Democrats in the district, but Debbie Wasserman Schultz has served the community for over two decades and knows full well that voters are focused on the facts — not made-up smears and distractions. It’s time he got serious.”

Canova said “the emails establish that on numerous occasions the DNC, under Wasserman Schultz’s direction and control, used its resources to track my campaign, interfere with my campaign events and to assist the Wasserman Schultz campaign in her personal communications strategy.”

FloridaPolitics contacted the FEC to obtain a copy of the complaint, but FEC law “requires that any Commission action on a complaint be kept strictly confidential until the case is resolved,” according to a spokesman.

Meanwhile, Wasserman Schultz said last night that she would announce details later this week on her much-anticipated debate with Canova, which she agreed to last week, after resisting Canova’s demand for such forums for months.