His presence on American soil is necessary to dispel doubts about his fitness as a father _ raised maliciously by Elian's Miami relatives _ and to end speculation that he is indifferent about reclaiming custody of his son. With Gonzalez all but out of sight in Cuba, the relatives have had a free hand to (distort) the case with bogus legal arguments and unsubstantiated claims that Elian is afraid to see his father.  
 Verb: distort
Yes