Ken Arnold, 8th congressional aspirant to run against Melissa Bean, has issued a press release demanding Steve Greenberg, his GOP opponent to return a $1,0000 donation from Illinois Republican National Committeeman Bob Kjellander.

In the accompanying email, Arnold says,

“I also attach a photo of the actual poster I displayed at the 2004 Republican State Convention. I firmly stated the case there in Collinsville, Illinois in 2004 by my silently holding up this political sign like so many others there.

“But my speech was apparently ‘bad speech’ to the Springfield Combine – and I got a police escort out of the convention by order of these ‘George Ryan Republicans,’ that is, until I quickly got a lawyer to successfully demand re-entrance as a duly appointed delegate.

“I have kept this sign as a trophy and “badge of honor” to my dedication, at all personal costs, of returning our Illinois Republican Party back to the honest Party of Lincoln. And I am as dedicated now as I was there in 2004 to this high principle.”

The press release follows:

Congressional Candidate Ken Arnold Demands Opponent Return “Dirty Money”

Gurnee, IL: Republican congressional candidate in the 8th District, Ken Arnold, demanded today that Republican opponent Steve Greenberg immediately return a $1,000 contribution made by George Ryan associate and State Republican Committeeman Bob Kjallander.

Mr. Arnold states: “I was shocked to learn that Mr. Greenberg accepted the dirty money of Mr. Kjallander – ill gotten by a conflict of interest in selling public bonds under Democrat Governor Rod Blogojavich while supposedly representing the Republican Party’s interests here in Illinois before the Nation.” He went on to emphatically demand: “No decent Republican candidate in this post George Ryan era would have anything to do with Mr. Kjallander – the “poster child of the Springfield combine and all the special deals in Springfield”. Return the money! And do it now.”

Ken Arnold, as a then Vice-Chairman of the Lake County Republican Party, was one of the first Republican leaders in all the State to condemn the doings of the then Governor George Ryan administration. Additionally, he spared with George Ryan Republicans at the 2004 State Republican Party Convention via holding up a sign among many on display simply saying: “No more dough (i.e. donating to the State Party) until Kjallander GOES!”

Ken Arnold has long been known for, and committed to, reforming the State Republican Party. In 2003, he successfully organized and placed upon the 8th Congressional District ballot a slate of National Convention Delegates – to compete against those put up by the George Ryan Republicans then in power. This was the first time in the State’s history that such competing slate was successfully placed on the ballot. And it marked a distinct movement among “Reform Republicans” to take back the Party from the cozy insiders who worked special, “insider deals” across both Parties at the detriment of the taxpayers of Illinois.

In a parting comment, Mr. Arnold pleaded to the Greenberg campaign saying: “Please, Mr. Greenberg, do not stain our Party further while we try to return it to the honest government befitting founder Abraham Lincoln! Give back this ill-gotten money! And do it now.”

For more information, or to donate to his campaign, citizens may either log onto his website at www.ArnoldforCongress.com or call the campaign at 847-207-1167.