Republican gubernatorial candidate Thomas Foley's two past arrests, which he acknowledged in a Courant story Friday morning, drew an immediate call from his two intraparty opponents for him to "come clean" and "approve the release of sealed court records detailing his arrests."
But Foley responded later that he had no plans to seek release of any records. "These were minor incidents," long ago, he said.
Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, one of Foley's two opponents in the upcoming Republican primary Aug. 10, issued a statement in the afternoon saying: "The charges against Mr. Foley are very serious and there remain many unanswered questions. The first test for any candidate for Governor is to be forthright and honest with the people. Mr. Foley needs [to] come clean and authorize the release of court records relating to his arrest and imprisonment and explain the discrepancies in the various accounts of his second arrest so voters can know the full truth about these troubling incidents."
Shortly afterwards, Oz Griebel, the third Republican in the Aug. 10 gubernatorial primary, added his own statement, saying: "Today's Hartford Courant article reveals very real and serious concerns about Tom Foley's judgment, temperament and the significant personal baggage he brings to the race. Connecticut needs a leader with a proven track record of real results who can turn around our economy and restore fiscal sanity in Hartford, not a politically opportunistic millionaire whose record includes bankrupting companies and an arrest history of domestic violence allegations."
"The Republican party needs a well respected leader who can win in November. This latest episode only adds to Tom's ever-growing list of liabilities. In this spirit and the best interest of our party, I call on Tom to exercise full transparency and approve the release of sealed court records detailing his arrests, making his complete past known to the voters. If the headline: 'Tom Foley's arrest record,' isn't enough to question whether Tom is right for Connecticut, I don't know what is."
Foley said he doubts any records exist to be unsealed, and said it would serve no useful purpose for him to look into their possible release so many years later. "The charges were dropped and the cases were dismissed," he said. "I'm sure the people of Connecticut would rather" hear the candidates discuss "the serious issues facing our state."