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Weldon told reporters Wednesday that an ex-FBI agent heard that Democrat Joseph Sestak’s campaign had inside information about the Justice Department investigation -- and when it would be leaked to the press.
"I’m telling you a retired FBI agent, whom I have named, came to me and said that a (Sestak) campaign worker told him three weeks ago that this was going to happen," he said.
While Weldon identified his source as Gregory Auld, he failed to mention that Auld has been on the campaign’s payroll since May.
Campaign finance reports filed this week show that Weldon Victory Committee has paid Auld & Associates Investigations $25,000 to conduct opposition research.
At Wednesday’s impromptu press conference, Weldon withheld that fact when he said a Sestak supporter had told Auld he knew about the federal investigation before it was made public.
The Republican congressman has asserted that the investigation was timed to coincide with the Nov. 7 election. He said Auld’s discovery, if true, means the Justice Department was coordinating its probe with the Sestak campaign, a claim the campaign has dismissed as "laughable."
"What this indicates is that there were others involved in a political campaign who knew about this, and to me that’s troubling," Weldon said.
Much of Weldon’s story didn’t check out with Auld, who said he had heard through a man at a local gym that another man who frequently wore a Sestak shirt said three weeks ago that "something big was going to come down on Weldon" last weekend.
Auld, of Drexel Hill, said he spoke to the Sestak supporter Tuesday, but "he never said they knew" about the investigation before it hit the newspapers.
Auld acknowledged his firm had a six-month contract with the Weldon campaign that runs through Election Day. He said pursuing the lead at the gym "probably was part of my responsibility" as a paid opposition researcher.
Political analysts say Weldon’s chances of re-election were diminished this week when FBI agents raided six locations -- including the homes and business office of Springfield GOP leader Charles Sexton and Weldon’s daughter Karen -- as part of an investigation into whether the congressman helped them obtain lobbying contracts.
Weldon maintains that the allegations are false, while the Sestak campaign says it had no advance knowledge of the investigation.
They will meet today at the Springfield Country Club for their second public debate.
