Boston Globe refuses Romney demand to "correct" Bain story

 

The Boston Globe reported this morning that federal and state documents filed by Mitt Romney and Bain claim that Mitt Romney remained the CEO, chairman of the board, and sole stockholder well beyond the 1999 retirement date that Romney had claimed in federal documents filed with the FEC.

If Romney lied, this could be a felony.  And he appears to have lied to someone as you can't "retire" but still remain CEO and Chair of the Board for a couple more years.

The Romney campaign demanded that the Globe "correct" their story, which Romney called "inaccurate."  The problem is that, as the Globe notes in their subsequent letter to the Romney campaign, the Globe can't correct a story that quotes federal and state documents that Romney wrote himself.  

Via Politico, the Globe writes:

The Globe story was based on government documents filed by Bain Capital itself. Those described Governor Romney as remaining at the helm of Bain Capital as its “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president” until 2002. The story also cited state financial disclosure forms filed by Romney that showed he earned income as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.

Only in Romney-land does someone retire and then keep his job for a few more years. If Romney is now claiming that he took a leave of absence from Bain, then why did he tell the FEC that he "retired"? And why did he file state documents showing he was still earning income if he supposedly no longer worked there?

Lots of questions, and no answers, from Camp Romney.

Then there's this story from Buzzfeed in which Mitt Romney said during a recent repugican primary debate that he "worked" at Bain - you know, that place he "retired" from - until 2002.

As a result of all the bad news, Romney's camp is losing it. They issued a statement today demanding Obama apologize for the "out of control behavior" of his staff. Their behavior was accurately commenting on Romney's own federal and state filings.

But the Romney camp's statement is a sign that their worried, very worried, about today's news, and more generally, the traction the Bain story is clearly starting to have. For them to risk making the story bigger by issuing such an over-the-top statement smells of desperation. They felt they to had to do something, anything, to stop the story. And instead, they keep making it bigger.