Flailing Controller Candidate Malia Cohen Lying to Media and Voters

Gives a remarkable fact-free interview to CBS Bay Area as Election Day nears

Mountain View, CA – State Controller Candidate Malia Cohen has a problem with the truth, and her latest lies were on display in a stunning, fact-free interview with CBS Bay Area on November 1.

Literally every assertion she made in the interview regarding Lanhee Chen’s positions and why she refuses to debate him is demonstrably false. This continues Malia’s pattern of being untruthful with reporters, not only about Lanhee’s positions, but about her disastrous finances.

Lie Number One: Malia’s not debating because “there hasn’t been a strong one really organized.”

Fact: Several credible media organizations throughout California have invited Malia Cohen to debate, including KCRA, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento.

Lie Number Two: Malia called Lanhee Chen a “Trump Republican.”

Fact: Lanhee Chen didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, and has said he would not support him if he runs for president in 2024. Earlier in the same CBS interview, Lanhee criticized Trump directly: “I’ve expressed concerns about, for example, what the former president did, his governing style,” said Chen. “What happened on January 6th, I’ve argued, is an abomination. I don’t think the election was stolen.”

Lie Number Three: Malia said Lanhee Chen “isn’t pro-choice.”

Fact: Lanhee Chen is pro-choice and has repeatedly voiced support for reproductive freedoms in California.

Lie Number Four: Malia bizarrely implied that Lanhee Chen is funding his own campaign.

Fact: Lanhee Chen has neither loaned nor given his campaign a single dollar. What is true is that Lanhee has massively outraised Malia and will be the first Republican to outraise and outspend his Democratic opponent in a statewide election in California in many years.

“The California State Controller oversees the fourth largest economy in the world. It’s a position that demands a commitment to truth. Malia Cohen is so desperate for power that she is willing to repeatedly lie to reporters and California voters about my positions and her own failed record,” said Lanhee Chen. “But I get it. Malia wants to divert attention from her disastrous personal financial history and a demonstrated record of walking away from personal and professional responsibilities. That’s why she won’t debate, won’t answer tough questions, and is allergic to the truth. California voters deserve better than a liar as State Controller,” Chen concluded.