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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday declined to charge Republican congressional candidate Carl DeMaio over allegations that he sexually harassed a former campaign aide and said they were not charging the former aide with breaking into DeMaio's office.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' announcement follows nearly two weeks of explosive allegations traded by DeMaio, 40, and the former aide, Todd Bosnich, in one of the nation's most closely watched congressional races. DeMaio, a gay former city councilman, is seeking to unseat first-term Democrat Scott Peters.
Dumanis, a Republican who backed DeMaio in his unsuccessful bid for San Diego mayor in 2012, provided no details, and her office refused to answer any questions, including whether a burglary suspect had been identified. She said in a news release that "no stone was left unturned."
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman issued a similar statement, calling the investigations thorough but declining to answer questions.
DeMaio has identified Bosnich as a suspect in the May 27 burglary in which he says phone lines were cut, computers destroyed and a "campaign strategy book" stolen. DeMaio says he fired Bosnich shortly before the burglary for plagiarizing a report on congressional pensions.
Bosnich, also an openly gay Republican, says his former boss repeatedly groped him and made unwanted sexual advances over several months while he worked for him.
DeMaio spokesman Dave McCullough said in an email that the campaign was glad Dumanis found Bosnich's "politically-motivated smears are without merit." He did not comment on her decision not to prosecute the burglary.
DeMaio, in an unusually testy debate that was recorded Friday on KNSD-TV, accused Peters of seizing upon secrets from his stolen strategy book. Peters said his campaign manager received "information" in early June and immediately gave it to police.
Bibi Fell, an attorney for Bosnich, said she was pleased there would be no charges against her client for the burglary, saying DeMaio "all but convicted him in the media." She said Bosnich planned to sue DeMaio over the sexual harassment claims.
Dumanis recused herself from an investigation of DeMaio's opponent in the 2012 mayoral race, Democrat Bob Filner, who resigned last year amid widespread allegations of sexual harassment and pleaded guilty to felony false imprisonment and two misdemeanor battery charges. She said Monday that the state attorney general's office found she faced no conflict of interest in the investigations involving DeMaio.
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