In yet another controversy for Ohio’s freshman senator, Bernie Moreno is facing harsh criticism after admitting he collected vehicle identification numbers (VINs) from his Democratic colleagues’ cars without their knowledge or consent.
Today in Ohio podcast hosts ridiculed Moreno’s snooping, which he revealed during a Senate committee hearing, has been labeled “creepy” by fellow senators, once again putting a spotlight on embarrassing antics by the former car salesman turned politician.
" Moreno said that he collected the vehicle identification numbers of his Democratic colleagues’ vehicles purportedly to see if they bought the optional safety features that they want to mandate in Congress," explained Lisa Garvin on Friday’s episode.
Moreno claimed his actions were meant to expose what he called “hypocrisy” among Democrats who support mandatory safety features in vehicles but allegedly don’t purchase such options themselves.
. “Democratic Nevada Senator Jackie Rosen clapped back. She says it’s violating our privacy. It seems just a little bit creepy,” Garvin recounted. “And she even asked, how did you get the VINs in the first place, and what are you going to do with them? And she objected to him stalking her car and her staff just to get those VINs.”
Rosen questioned how Moreno could have accessed her vehicle’s information, noting that her car is located in Nevada, not Washington, D.C.
“What is he thinking he’s doing skulking around and doing it?” asked Chris Quinn. “ I’m surprised the security didn’t come after him because that is such a creepy thing to do.”
Quinn noted how Moreno repeatedly positions himself as the class clown of the U.S. Senate.
“This is so embarrassing…. Day after day, week after week, this guy embarrasses Ohio like no other senator in history," Quinn said. “This is what Ohio went with over Sherrod Brown. He really should be required to wear a big red Nose whenever he’s in the building.”
The VIN number controversy comes just one week after Moreno faced criticism for controversial claims he made about Mentor schools.
Moreno, who made his fortune in the automotive industry before entering politics, has focused much of his legislative efforts on vehicle-related issues since taking office. This background has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, with Garvin noting, “He’s done a lot of car and vehicle friendly legislation since he’s become senator. I don’t know that any of it’s passed, but it’s interesting how he’s protecting the business that he allegedly let go of.”
The situation has also sparked broader concerns about appropriate conduct for elected officials.
“What’s next? Going to their homes and looking at the mailbox to see what’s in their mailbox,” Quinn asked. “This is way beyond the behavior of a senator. This is the most exclusive club in politics, right? There are 100 people in the Senate. Very powerful group. It’s supposed to be August, and we got a guy creeping around getting VIN numbers so he can try to embarrass his colleagues with gotchas. It’s shameful. It’s just shameful.”
As Moreno continues his first term representing Ohio, this latest controversy adds to growing questions about his approach to the job. Listen to the discussion here.
Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
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