Former Democratic candidate for governor Rosa Scarcelli and her husband, Thom Rhoads, issued individual statements Thursday in the ongoing controversy over the “The Cutler Files” website.

But the statements raise even more questions about whether they are being completely candid.

“The Cutler Files” was an anonymous website that first came to light in early September 2010, attacking the career and reputation of independent candidate for Maine governor Eliot Cutler.

The site labeled Cutler a “phony and a fraud,” and was mainly an assortment of links to other sites and stories that cast him in an unfavorable light.

Cutler loudly objected to the site in the months leading up to the election.

Just before November’s election, the site mysteriously disappeared, and days later Cutler narrowly lost the race to Paul LePage.

Rhoads was adamant that he was not involved with the site in an Oct. 27 article in the Portland Press Herald.

“I can unequivocally state that I am not the author, owner or creator of ‘The Cutler Files,’ nor did I post any information on it or any other website.”

Rhoads went on to say, “I don’t know why my name is being brought into this. It’s pure rumor.”

Thursday, Rhoads publicly admitted that his role was far more than “pure rumor.”

Still maintaining that he was not “the author, creator or owner of the website,” Rhoads admitted that he did much of the “independent research” that formed the basis of the site.

Indeed, the Maine ethics commission determined that political consultant Dennis Bailey owned and operated the site, and he has been fined $200 for various campaign disclosure violations.

The commission also determined that Rhoads shopped his research around to Cutler’s opponents for $30,000 but found no takers.

In a separate statement, Rosa Scarcelli reiterated what she has said previously, that neither she nor her campaign was involved in the Cutler files.

And, indeed, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices confirmed that.

In her statement, Scarcelli says she “found out about the website at the same time everybody else did,” which would have been early September.

“When I first learned about the website, I confronted Thom and Dennis Bailey. Thom told me about (Rhoads’) role in providing research.”

However, in October of last year, the Press Herald reported that Scarcelli said “she and her husband have nothing to do with the website and that rumors of their involvement are offensive.”

It’s unclear why, if Scarcelli knew about her husband’s involvement in September and disapproved of it, she would tell the Press Herald in October he was not involved.

While the conflicting statements continue to puzzle, several things are clear.

First, both Dennis Bailey and Thom Rhoads dissembled their roles in “The Cutler Files” when asked direct questions by the media.

One can only assume they did so because they would be embarrassed by their participation in the site’s creation. In particular, Bailey was working for independent candidate Shawn Moody at the time.

Second, Bailey’s usefulness as a professional political consultant has been damaged by his participation in “The Cutler Files” episode.

The unfortunate revelations portray him more as a vindictive, dirty trickster than a savvy political consultant.

Finally, it is unclear what, if any, impact this mess will have on Scarcelli’s political ambitions.

The revelations so far suggest she has been sadly victimized by the poor judgment of those closest to her.

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