Ramaswamy Campaign Addresses Controversy Resurfacing Acton’s Childhood Rape Allegation — Smears Her as a ‘Serial Fabulist’

L: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo; R: AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File

Vivek Ramaswamy responded to criticism from Amy Acton, his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, following the release of a highly controversial ad put out in support of his campaign.

“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign said in a statement. The statement was shared by Ohio political reporter Jessie Balmert on X.

The statement notably does not deny funding the ad or disavowing it.

The ad in question, featuring Acton’s mother, sparked bipartisan outrage after its release this week. Acton’s stepfather was accused of molesting her between the ages of 9 and 12; she and her brother were removed from her mother’s home, and her mother left town with her husband while he was out on bond. Acton and her brother, who has vehemently supported her claim, were raised by their father from that point.

“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Philip Stearns, Acton’s brother, said in his own statement.

“After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants,” Stearns added.

National Review reporter Charles Hilu quickly uncovered court documents to support Acton’s story, in a Tuesday report. On top of that, the documents include a “criminal history” for Acton’s stepfather, “including pleading guilty to theft by deception while living in Pennsylvania in the 1990s and being accused of animal abuse as recently as 2021.”

The Ramaswamy campaign has not claimed responsibility for the ad, but also has not denied producing or paying for it.

The ad features Donna Arthur, who says in part that life in Ohio “will only get worse” if Acton is elected. Acton has said for many years (well before she became a gubernatorial candidate) that she grew up in an unstable home, that she and her brother experienced homelessness, and that she was sexually abused by one of her mother’s partners.

“She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life,” Donna says in the ad.

Court documents reviewed by the National Review showed “Cledith Arthur was charged with having sexual contact” with Amy when she was 12.

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