ABC News: Mitt Romney's Blind Trust Not So Blind
On December 19, 2011, ABC News reported:
But government ethics experts and election lawyers told ABC News that Romney's trust might not be quite as blind as he has long maintained. That's because Romney placed his quarter-billion dollar family fortune in the hands of his personal lawyer and longtime associate Bradford Malt.
WSJ: Romney Blind Trusts Shed Chinese Holdings
On December 17, 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported:
Mitt Romney's financial advisers shed all his investments in China, worth as much as $1.5 million, at some point after mid-August, about the time that Mr. Romney made "confronting China" on trade a central plank of his economic platform as a Republican presidential candidate.
TPM: Romney, Who Says He Didn’t Fully Understand Medicaid, Bought A Hospital Company At Bain
On December 16, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
Mitt Romney took a turn for the folksy in Iowa on Friday, telling an audience that, like many people, he didn’t fully understand what Medicaid did until late in life. “You know, I have to admit, I didn’t know the differences between all these things until I got into government,” Romney said. “Then I got into it and I understood that Medicaid is the health care program for the poor, by and large.” It’s a bit of an odd claim considering that Romney, while at Bain Capital, led a $311 million buyout of a huge hospital business that drew its income primarily from health care entitlements.
VIDEO: "Those Who Live In Glass Houses…"
Mitt Romney’s struggling presidential campaign is on the attack against former Speaker Newt Gingrich over a consulting contract with Freddie Mac. Romney has demanded Gingrich return money he made from the deal. Yet as the Boston Globe reported, Romney himself has up to $500,000 in a mutual fund that is heavily invested Fannie & Freddie -- outside of his blind trust. Does that mean Romney will return the up to $50,000 he made from investing in Fannie & Freddie?
Huffington Post: The Contract With America Comes Back To Haunt Romney
On December 14, 2011, the Huffington Post reported:
In an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, Mitt Romney acknowledged that he was "wrong" not to sign Newt Gingrich's Contract with America when he was running for the Senate in 1994.
Dean Heller all talk on “No Budget, No Pay” pledge
Washington, DC – At a press conference hosted yesterday by the No Labels group, Senator Dean Heller renewed his call to withhold pay for members of Congress if they fail to pass a budget. However, when he had the opportunity to actually cast a vote on a measure to prevent payment in the event of a government shutdown, he voted no. “Dean Heller is all talk when it comes to holding members accountable for their inability to serve the constituents they were sent to Washington to represent. It is one thing to talk a good game at a press conference, but apparently something completely different when it comes to actually casting votes,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century.
Romney Bet Big On Fannie And Freddie
Despite the blame Romney has placed on Fannie and Freddie for the economic crisis, Romney has profited handsomely off of the companies. According to financial disclosure statements, Romney has invested up to a half million dollars in a mutual fund heavily invested in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Federal Home Loan Bank notes. The pay-out on Romney’s bet: up to $50,000. These investments weren’t made until the latter half of 2007. And, as the Boston Globe reported, “unlike most of Romney’s financial holdings, which are held in a blind trust that is overseen by a trustee and not known to Romney, this particular investment was among those that would have been known to Romney.”
Romney’s Freddie Mac Attack on Gingrich Reeks of Hypocrisy
Washington, DC – Mitt Romney’s struggling presidential campaign is on the attack against former Speaker Newt Gingrich over a consulting contract with Freddie Mac. While desperate attacks have been a pillar of Romney’s long, 17-year political career, this week’s iteration is even more hypocritical than we've come to expect from Romney. As the Boston Globe reported, Romney himself has up to $500,000 in a mutual fund that is heavily invested Fannie & Freddie -- outside of his blind trust. The investment was made in late 2007, just “around the time that the scale of the housing crisis was coming into focus.”
VIDEO: Romney's Washington Examiner Editorial Board Interview – Best Of
Last week, Mitt Romney spoke at length with the editorial board of the Washington Examiner. American Bridge compiled a video of the best moments. Take a look.
Washington Monthly: Romney gambles on Freddie Mac attack
On December 12, 2011, Washington Monthly's Steve Benen reported:
There is, however, a problem: Romney has some Freddie Mac troubles of his own. [...] It leads to a pretty straightforward question: if Gingrich should return the money he made by working for Freddie Mac, should Romney return the money he made by investing in Freddie Mac?