Ohio Democrat Marcia Fudge, who is mulling a challenge to Nancy Pelosi to become the next House speaker, defended a former Ohio judge in 2015 who was accused of domestic abuse and who was taken into custody over the weekend under suspicion of killing his wife.
Fudge wrote a letter of support for then-Judge Lance mason, who was accused of abusing his wife, Aisha Fraser, a local CBS affiliate reported Tuesday. On Saturday, Fraser was killed, and Mason was taken into custody.
In the 2015 letter, Fudge said Mason was “a good man who made a very bad mistake,” and the “behavior” he displayed towards his then-wife Fraser was “out of character and totally contrary to everything I know about him.”
Mason served prison time for assaulting his wife in 2014 and is expected to face charges for Fraser’s death. Fudge’s earlier support of Mason has put her under the microscope as she considers a bid against Pelosi, who has led the House Democrats for 16 years.
“My support of Lance in 2015 was based on the person I knew for almost 30 years – an accomplished lawyer, prosecutor, state legislator and judge,” Fudge said in an emailed statement. “That’s the Lance Mason I supported. The person who committed these crimes is not the Lance Mason familiar to me. They were horrific crimes, and I condemn them. I and everyone who knew Aisha are mourning her loss.”
“My heart breaks for Aisha Fraser,” Fudge said. “I pray for Aisha’s family, especially her children, as they attempt to deal with this tragedy.”
Fudge is expected to make a decision on whether she will challenge Pelosi shortly after Thanksgiving.
