Bernie Moreno said an Ohio Confucius Institute closed under his watch. It didn't

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno often goes after university diversity and equity initiatives on the campaign trail.

A repeated target: Controversial Chinese language and culture programs known as Confucius Institutes, which receive funding from China's government.

"I chaired the board of trustees at Cleveland State University, and I’m very proud of the fact that when I was there, we got rid of our Confucius Institute," Moreno said during a campaign event in March 2023. "We made certain that we focused everybody on student achievement, and we respected free speech on campus."

He recounted the same story in Strongsville months later: "I was a chairman of the board here at Cleveland State. I was vice chair at (Cuyahoga Community College). I'm very proud of the things that I did there, making certain that at Cleveland State we honored free speech. We got rid of our Confucius Institute. We didn't allow our kids to be brainwashed."

But the timing doesn't line up. While Moreno did chair the board, his term expired three years before Cleveland State shuttered its Confucius Institute. He also held leadership positions when trustees approved university budgets that funded the program.

In a statement, Moreno said he helped recruit and hire the president who ultimately chose to shut down the institute. His campaign attributed financial decisions to the Ohio Legislature, which allocates state money to public universities but does not decide how all of it is spent.

Who is Bernie Moreno? Meet the Republican taking on Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall

Did Bernie Moreno play role in closing Confucius Institute?

Moreno is running against Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, this fall in a race that could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the U.S. Senate. Moreno is relatively new to politics − he briefly ran for Senate in 2022 − but he's known in northeast Ohio for his car dealerships, blockchain business and involvement in the community.

Former Gov. John Kasich appointed Moreno to Cleveland State's board in June 2011. He served as vice chairman for three years before being promoted to the top spot in 2016, according to a 2018 resolution acknowledging his service. The resolution credited Moreno for a commitment to "social and economic advancement through education and community service."

Nationally, Confucius Institutes began to close amid concerns from academics and elected officials about the Chinese government's influence. Federal officials in 2021 restricted funding for universities that hosted them. In 2020, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa penned letters to Cleveland State and other schools urging officials to meet with the FBI about "the national security threats posed by Confucius Institutes."

A Cleveland State spokeswoman said university officials also received inquiries from the U.S. government about the institute in 2017 and 2018.

While Moreno bragged about eliminating Cleveland State's institute, it didn't close until 2021. He was vice chairman when trustees passed a 2017 budget that gave roughly $38,000 to the institute. The board, with Moreno as chairman, reupped that funding for the 2018 fiscal year. Both budgets passed on voice votes with no documented opposition by Moreno, according to board meeting minutes.

The only time the Confucius Institute surfaced in minutes during Moreno's tenure was September 2011, when officials said the program was working to hire a third teacher.

Moreno attributed his comments to his role in the hiring of Harlan Sands, who was Cleveland State's president when the institute closed. Moreno chaired the board and presidential search committee at the time.

"These institutes funded by the CCP are dangerous for our universities and we must continue to work to remove them from campuses nationwide," Moreno said.

Sands declined to say whether the Confucius Institute came up during his interview process with Moreno and the board. But he said in an email that trustees were "clear about their desire for the kind of transformational leadership, strong financial stewardship, and improved student throughput...that would activate CSU's potential as an economic driver for Northeast Ohio."

"I know there were many conversations during my first three years about a wide range of programs including the Confucius Institute," Sands said. "After listening to our various constituency groups during our priority-setting process – trustees, faculty, students, alums, etc. – it became clear early on that this Institute fell outside of our core mission and these resources needed to be invested elsewhere."

Moreno's Republican primary opponents attacked his record

Taken together, Moreno's claims appear to overstate his involvement in the institute's closure. But higher education reform remains a hallmark of his campaign as Ohio Republicans target diversity programs on campuses.

"I hear from Ohioans all over our state who are concerned about the trajectory of our institutions of higher education," Moreno said. "These universities have turned into indoctrination institutions that have squashed free speech. That's why I am, and always have been, committed to doing anything I can to keep campuses a haven for free speech and education rather than propaganda and indoctrination."

It's the latest in a string of inconsistencies that have dogged his campaign. During the Republican primary race, Moreno's opponents often attacked him for his shifting positions on immigration and gun control. And while Moreno opposes affirmative action policies, he bought his first dealership at a discount because Mercedes-Benz wanted more minority owners, Business Insider reported.

"The more Ohioans learn about Moreno, the less they trust him," Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who ran against Moreno in the primary, posted on X last month.

LaRose has since endorsed Moreno in the general election.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bernie Moreno exaggerated role in closure of Ohio Confucius Institute