Republican Congressional challenger Rob Merkle is upset about an online video making fun of his 2001 arrest on drug charges.
The video, titled "Reefer Rob" appeared on YouTube this past weekend, according to the Greenwich Time.
Merkle, of Norwalk, is one of three Republicans in an August primary to try and win the chance to take on Democrat Rep. Jim Himes in Connecticut's fourth district.
The focus of the video is Merkle's arrest on marijuana charges in Florida nine years ago when he was 32. It includes pictures of Merkle mixed with images of people smoking pot and is set to a parody of Afroman's song "Because I Got High".
Merkle's father, a federal prosecutor known for going after drug traffickers, also is seen in the video, the paper reported.
He confirmed the arrest to the Greenwich Time, and told the paper it was not the first time he had used marijuana. "It was over 10 years ago," Merkle told the paper. "I've never claimed I'm running as a saint or a librarian."
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Merkle blamed the campaign of another Republican challenger, Rick Torres, for posting the video, but told the Greenwich Time he doesn't have proof Torres was involved.
"Everything is fair game," Torres told the Greenwich Time. "People want to know the character of a person." Torres, who is from Bridgeport, also admitted to smoking pot, but said he stopped in college at age 23, according to the paper.
The third GOP candidate, Dan Debicella of Shelton, is the party's endorsed candidate. He hasn't commented on the video.
