Sen. Roger Marshall says a top Democrat paid for a damaging story. He claims Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer funded the attack. The report details lawsuits against his former patients.
It appears right before a tight Senate race in Kansas. Marshall calls it a political hit job from the left. He told Fox News the story is like the National Enquirer.
He believes Schumer wants to hurt his chances of winning. The race is becoming very close in ruby-red Kansas. Marshall faces Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor.
Hamilton won the Democratic nomination in a surprising upset. The conflict centers on Marshall’s past medical practice. He ran an OB-GYN clinic in rural Kansas.
The New York Times reported on old billing issues. The article says Marshall sued over 700 patients. These were for unpaid medical bills from years ago.
Some patients faced arrest warrants for missing court dates. The report says 81 people were arrested. This happened because they did not appear in court.
Marshall says he never wanted anyone arrested. He claims he had no control once bills went to collections. He says standard agencies handled the debt collection.
He notes that only a small fraction of bills went that far. He says most patients paid or made payment plans. He accepted Medicaid in an area with few doctors.
Patients often traveled far to see him. He says he wrote off many bills entirely. He was on call for nearly thirty years.
He served a community of 60,000 people alone. Hamilton’s campaign disputes Marshall’s defense of his past. A spokesperson said Marshall’s lawyer set high interest rates.
The rate was 18 percent annually. This is 50 percent higher than the Kansas state rate. The spokesperson said Marshall allowed arrests of new mothers.
One woman said she was arrested for $115. Another said she was forced to pay in full. She wanted a payment plan but was denied.
Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Marshall recently. A protester interrupted Vance to cite the New York Times report. Vance called the report a lie about his friend.
He said Marshall stands up for everyday Americans. Marshall refuses to read the New York Times article. He says he trusts the judges in Kansas more.
He believes the judges did not act as described. He thinks something else was going on behind the scenes. He maintains his office practices were above board.
He says the media mischaracterizes the whole process. The money trail points to Democratic political interests. The timing suggests a coordinated effort to damage his name.
Voters must decide who tells the truth about the past. The facts about the lawsuits are now public. The interest rates and arrest warrants are documented.
The political motive for the report is explicit. The race will likely come down to these details. Voters have the information to make their choice.
The next step is the election in Kansas.