ELKINS — Fmr. Del. Denise Campbell (D), the Democratic nominee for State Senate in District 11, has disavowed any criminal or defamatory actions reportedly committed by Asad Derya Khan and Michael Lee Morehead. On August 19ᵗʰ, Michael Morehead and Asad Khan were charged with criminal misdemeanors for anonymously and knowingly publishing false statements specifically to influence the voting results of the 2020 election.
In addition to Michael Morehead and Asad Khan’s involvement, Dr. Ali Khan admitted to providing contributions for The Buckhannon Rag, an additional defamatory website that targeted political candidates and private citizens. One of their targets included Sen. Robert Karnes (R).
In an exclusive interview with Mountaineer Journal, Fmr. Del. Campbell stated that she does ‘condone that type of behavior.’
“If what is said by the authorities as to what happened is illegal, no, I do not support that whatsoever,” Campbell told Mountaineer Journal. “That’s a shame. I definitely don’t condone that type of behavior.”
“I believe in the rule of law,” she continued, “When people are out telling lies about them, blatant lies, and photo-shopping things that are untrue, I don’t think that’s right.”
Additionally, she expressed the need for accountability to discourage others from engaging in similar behavior.
“I hope they do take people to court, so maybe they’ll clean up some of this,” Campbell stated. “I’ve been there. It’s not funny. It’s not pleasant. And I’m glad to see people are going to take them to court, so maybe some other people might behave themselves.”
On April 9, 2020, Campbell appeared on the Pros and Khans podcast with Asad Khan. On March 15ᵗʰ, Mountaineer.News published a candidate profile, where Campbell purportedly supplied them with information about her campaign’s platform. Mountaineer.News was a left-wing faux news website, owned by Michael Morehead, where Asad Khan served an active role.
On April 16ᵗʰ, 19ᵗʰ, 24ᵗʰ, and 25ᵗʰ The Buckhannon Rag issued anonymous attacks on Karnes, where they leveled multiple false and defamatory accusations against his character. These accusations were not politically related, but rather sought to spread malicious, vulgar, and depraved assertions of fictitious personal conduct.
Campbell firmly denied any personal involvement in the website targeting Sen. Robert Karnes (R) in the 2020 Republican Primary.
“I did not have any involvement. All they had was information about me in a website. I did not give them one dollar. I’m not on their board. I am not anyone other than someone they interviewed.”
“Like most candidates, I almost always take advantage of opportunities to speak to the voters. The podcast, interview, and candidate profile that I submitted which took place during the 2020 Primary constitute my entire involvement. I did not have an opponent during the primary. These allegations are terrible and the conduct must be stopped to preserve voter confidence in our elections. By conduct, I mean all conduct which involves making false statements or making false accusations about any candidate, regardless of party, must be stopped, otherwise, voters will lose confidence in the election process.”
She continued, telling Mountaineer Journal, that she had worked with Dr. Ali Khan in Buckhannon, while serving as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Dr. Khan had contacted her on multiple occasions, asking if she would come on his son’s show (Pros and Khans with Asad Khan) for an interview. She eventually agreed.
Campbell also expressed that she was personally lied about in the 2016 state senatorial general election, as it pertains to her political stances. She felt the attacks sought to damage her reputation. Therefore, she used this experience as a means of personally relating to this situation, calling for both Republicans and Democrats to refrain from using defamatory tactics.
“We need to be sure it’s equal across the board for everyone. It’s not okay for this group, and it’s not okay for that group. I don’t condone, at any time, lying about people and defaming their character.”
Campbell was one of several prominent democratic politicians that appeared on the Pros and Khans with Asad Derya Khan, and Michael Morehead’s Mountaineer.News. She is also the first prominent Democrat to disavow their behavior.