Linda Lingle wasn’t about to let the Hawaii Democratic Party State Convention begin without making some noise of her own.

Her deputy campaign manager and communications director, Lenny Klompus, put out a statement Friday. Here’s a representative excerpt:

While the people of Hawaii are focused on the economic issues facing their families and communities, including the rising costs of basic necessities such as food and energy, it’s unfortunate that political operatives like Chuck Freedman will continue to dust off very old news releases to caustically attack their potential campaign opponents. They should be letting the people of Hawaii know where their candidates stand on the myriad of issues facing the residents of our state.