Possible Clues:

• Claims, as it's about to start back for 35 across
• The cad could make corpses of this, or so he claims
• Alleges, asserts
• The cad makes a claim like this for those that are dead
• States firmly - really raves
• What ones pal claims, in a manner fo speaking
• Comes out with
• One claims this, as it's about a backward cleric
• Swears yet is not entirely ill-disposed
• Declares a verse is shortened