Well, that didn’t go as planned…
The Romney campaign, smarting from a devastating piece by the Boston Globe this week, decided to pushback and sent them a letter demanding they issue a “correction”.
The Globe told them to stuff it.
Here’s the email the Romney camp sent them:
Dear Mr. Baron,Today’s news report in the Boston Globe regarding Mitt Romney’s departure from Bain was a re-hash of old allegations that first appeared in other publications and which have been found to be false by independent fact checking organizations. They also conflict with the reporting of the Globe own staff in the book published last year by the Boston Globe, The Real Romney.
Mitt Romney left Bain Capital to run the Olympics in February of 1999. Your article on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain asserts that Mitt Romney remained “at the helm” of Bain Capital beyond his retirement from the firm in February of 1999. This is inaccurate. Bain Capital after this time was managed by the other partners in the firm, as was detailed in The Real Romney.
As we provided to the Globe, while Mitt Romney continued to be listed on filings as the ownership of the firm changed hands, he was involved in no management or investment decisions during this period. This has been detailed in disclosure forms which said: “Mr. Romney retired from Bain Capital on February 11, 1999 to head the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Since February 11, 1999, Mr. Romney has not had any active role with any Bain Capital entity and has not been involved in the operations of any Bain Capital entity in any way.”
This has also been confirmed by Bain Capital which has stated: “Mitt Romney left Bain Capital in February 1999 to run the Olympics and has had absolutely no involvement with the management or investment activities of the firm or with any of its portfolio companies since the day of his departure. Due to the sudden nature of Mr. Romney’s departure, he remained the sole stockholder for a time while formal ownership was being documented and transferred to the group of partners who took over management of the firm in 1999. Accordingly, Mr. Romney was reported in various capacities on SEC filings during this period.”
This has also been confirmed today by Fortune Magazine, which reported on contemporaneous Bain documents of this period that “list 18 managers of the private equity fund. Mitt Romney is not among them.”
Despite all of the facts provided and previous reporting on this, your article led readers to believe that Mitt Romney was managing Bain Capital at this time when he in fact was not, and for that reason, we are asking that you issue a correction.
Respectfully,
Gail Gitcho
Romney for President
Communications Director
Here is the Globe’s most-awesome response:
Suck it.
No, wait. That’s what I would have said. Here’s their actual most-awesome response:
Dear Ms. Gitcho:We received your request late this afternoon for a correction regarding this morning’s Globe story. Having carefully reviewed that request, we see no basis for publishing a correction. The Globe story was entirely accurate.
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.
The Globe story accurately described the contents of those documents.
The Globe story also gave a full account of the Romney campaign’s position that, notwithstanding several years of regulatory filings, Mitt Romney “retired from Bain Capital in 1999 … (and) has had no involvement in the management or investment activities of Bain Capital, or with any of its portfolio companies, since that time.” In your correction request, you reiterate points that are fully detailed in the Globe story.
Sincerely,
Martin Baron
Editor, The Boston Globe
SSSSSSSS-SNAP!!!
But , seriously, the information provided in the Globe piece was factual. Some of it was new. And, it shows Mitt Romney for what he is: a lying tax evader who is hiding things.
The bullying that Romney did as a kid clearly has remained with him today and has infected his campaign. The Globe did the right thing standing behind their journalists and standing up to the Romney campaign’s bully tactics.
