Republican presidential candidates boycotting Univision debate over Rubio flap

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (Pic via Facebook)

Angry reactions from Republicans about allegations that Univision said it would kill a story about the drug-related arrest of a family member of GOP Sen. Marco Rubio if Rubio appeared on Al Punto continue to grow as several Republican presidential candidates have said they will boycott Univision’s 2012 presidential debate.

The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that “five Republican presidential candidates are boycotting a proposed Univision debate due to allegations that the Spanish-language media giant tried to strongarm Sen. Marco Rubio, a vice-presidential shortlister, with a controversial story about a relative.

The Herald adds: “Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman and Michele Bachmann issued statements Tuesday saying Univision needs to make amends before they would appear at the debate, tentatively scheduled two days before Florida’s Jan. 31 primary.

The report about the case, aired by Univision, stated “there is one family episode that the Senator does not want to talk about. Univision Investiga has learned that in 1987, Rubio’s older sister Barbara was caught up in the year’s most significant antinarcotics operation in South Florida.”

According to a Miami Herald article issued Monday, U.S. Rep. David Rivera and state Reps. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Erik Fresen “are calling on the national GOP and their party’s presidential candidates to boycott a proposed Univision debate amid allegations that the Spanish-language television network tried to ‘extort’ Sen. Marco Rubio.”

Latino Fox News reports that “Univision takes exception to the false assertion that it attempted to ‘extort’ Senator Rubio in any way, shape, or form,” according to Univision’s Arya Towfighi.