Obama says he won't apologize to Romney

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Obama says he won't apologize to Romney

By By MICHELE SALCEDO – 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he will not apologize to likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for an aide's comment last week that false filings to a government regulator could bring a felony charge.

"No. We will not apologize," Obama said in an interview taped Saturday with WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, Va., and posted on the station's website Sunday. "Mr. Romney claims he's Mr. Fix-it for the economy because of his business experience, so I think voters entirely legitimately want to know what is exactly his business experience."

Obama spent two days campaigning in tightly contested Virginia last week, reminding voters of the discrepancies between Securities and Exchange Commission filings and Romney's recollection of his role at Bain Capital. Obama's deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, suggested Thursday Romney might be guilty of a felony for misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iAhwrGH7VZH51G0lrBazXm0_iJPQ?docId=a9ac59e1aaa4438c8eec016865d96f00

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[nolabear]

1. "Mr. Fix-it" LOL!

Well fix this, Willard.

[targetpractice]

3. It's the perfect nickname…

It's an accurate nickname, but a little patronizing… It's funny in the same way the word "underpants "is funny but not the word "underwear ". Brilliant.

[randome]

2. He should have said, "No, thanks."

That's what I say to pamphlet-wielding sales people trying to ask me for a favor.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. Whew.

[warrprayer]

6. BRAVO

Well done, Mr. President!!!!

[dkf]

7. So what does the SEC have to say about this then.

As executive Obama is in charge of enforcement after all. Isn't this a pretty serious charge?

[maddezmom]

9. I don't know, maybe they are looking into it. Do you know something you'd like to share?

or is this just another way for you to dump on Obama to deflect what dishonest asshat Romney is?

[dkf]

11. Frankly I think Stephanie Cutter stepped into it.

And now Obama will have to defend it. But if they don't disclaim the felony charge, then they need to pursue it. It's the campaigns accusation after all.

[maddezmom]

12. yes, I know you think that this is a losing strategy but seems to be working to those of us

that like Obama and his campaign. The ball is in Mitt's court now and can prove them all wrong if he'll just release his tax returns, imo.

[dkf]

24. Could be either depending on what they find.

They just upped the stakes more than I'd be comfortable with were I Obama.

But I'm risk averse so that is me.

[Ikonoklast]

18. Then you and Karl Rove are in agreement.

Yet once again.

In other news....

[magical thyme]

19. Frankly, I think Mittens stepped into it

and now he can't seem to wipe it off his shoe.

Romney claimed to be sole shareholder, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of Bain during the years of 1999 to 2002.

At the same time, he claimed to have ended all involvement with Bain in order to be Mr. Fix-It for the scandal-ridden Olympics, in order to avoid any conflict of interest between Bain's business dealings and the Olympics. Because Bain companies had business dealings with the Olympics.

And then in 2002, in order to run for Governor of Mass, he retired from Bain, retroactive to 1999.

And then in 2011, in order to run for President, he filed with the Federal Election Commission and claimed to have ended his involvement with Bain in 1999.

Either he was sole shareholder/COB/CEO/Pres of Bain from 1999-2002...or he wasn't. It really is that simple. And if he wasn't running Bain, then who was?

The crap about it being very complicated is just that. Crap. Because larger corporations than Bain lose their heads all the time, to illness, unexpected death, firings, jail....And interim heads do NOT take 3 years to be appointed. The US is far more complex than Bain, but when JFK was shot, a new President was in place same day.

He either lied to the SEC or he lied to the FEC. Takes your pick.

His income taxes since from 1999 to 2009 will show what income he did or didn't have from Bain.

Show us the money, Mitt.

[proverbialwisdom]

30. Thanks for providing a succinct summary of all those details.

"He either lied to the SEC or he lied to the FEC. Takes your pick." Indefensible.

[red dog 1]

40. "He either lied to the SEC or he lied to the FEC"

From:
Daily Kos
Game Guru's Diary
July 15, 2012

MITT ROMNEY IS A FELON. ARREST HIM.

"But for all the legal twisting and squirming that Mitt's surrogates have been doing to protect him from the legal jeopardy that he put himself in -- they cannot escape the fact that Mitt Romney, in sworn testimony to Massachusetts elections officials, stated that he served on the board of the LifeLike Corporation and returned to Massachusetts to serve in that capacity after he.."retired" in 1999 to save the Olympics. Presumably and almost certainly, he served on it's board because he owned shares in the company through his ownership of Bain Capital.

That, by definition, is "being involved" in a Bain Capital entity. Even if he served on LifeLike's board in the capacity of an individual investor (and not in his Bain capacity), he would still be "involved" with this Bain entity as an individual investor.

There is much, much more evidence out there to contradict Romney's claim (which came today in the form of Ed Gillespie's preposterous claim that Mitt Romney "retired retroactively" from Bain Capital.)

Either he lied to the SEC and State of Massachusetts in the early years of the past decade, or he lied to the FEC on August 12, 2011.
Mitt Romney, from the information available to us, is guilty of a federal crime.
He needs to go to court to defend his innocence."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/15/1110182/-Mitt-Romney-is-a-felon-arrest-him

[SemperEadem]

20. she didn't step into anything

Knowingly falsifying information, aka LYING, on a federal filing is a felony. There is nothing on Obama or Cutters part for which to apologize.

to wit: http://library.findlaw.com/2004/May/11/147945.html

Did you know that it is a crime to tell a lie to the federal government? Even if your lie is oral and not under oath? Even if you have received no warnings of any kind? Even if you are not trying to cheat the government out of money? Even if the government is not actually misled by your falsehood? Well it is.

Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 makes it a crime to: 1) knowingly and willfully; 2) make any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation; 3) in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative or judicial branch of the United States. Your lie does not even have to be made directly to an employee of the national government as long as it is "within the jurisdiction" of the ever expanding federal bureaucracy. Though the falsehood must be "material" this requirement is met if the statement has the "natural tendency to influence or [is] capable of influencing, the decision of the decisionmaking body to which it is addressed." United States v. Gaudin , 515 U.S. 506, 510 (1995). (In other words, it is not necessary to show that your particular lie ever really influenced anyone.) Although you must know that your statement is false at the time you make it in order to be guilty of this crime, you do not have to know that lying to the government is a crime or even that the matter you are lying about is "within the jurisdiction" of a government agency. United States v. Yermian , 468 U.S. 63, 69 (1984). For example, if you lie to your employer on your time and attendance records and, unbeknownst to you, he submits your records, along with those of other employees, to the federal government pursuant to some regulatory duty, you could be criminally liable.

.

It's pretty much akin to claiming someone on your tax return that you do not legally support. Frankly, the IRS need to climb up in that ass now.

[dkf]

25. So you think this was a planned campaign statement, not something she came up with on her own?

[maddezmom]

26. why does it matter?

[SemperEadem]

27. What I think is non sequitur to the fact that the law stands as stated.

what matters is that falsifying information on a federal form is a felony. Bozo the Clown could say it and it would still be true.

Pearl clutching doesn't change the fact that the law is there.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. Doesn't matter - she was completely accurate

She said:

"Either Mitt Romney, through his own words and his own signature was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC, which is a felony, or he was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the American people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments"

which is 100% true. All this has shown that he did misrepresent his position at Bain to the American people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments. But his campaign has been trying to weasel out of admitting that. If everyone hadn't chased up the SEC filings, and found people to say "yes, he was still the CEO", it could have looked as if he was possibly telling us the truth when he claimed he had stopped doing anything in the company. But know we know he wasn't. She never claimed that lying to the American people is a felony. It's just a shitty advert for someone who wants to be president.

What this has done is to allow the Democrats to prove Romney lied. Of course, Romney's campaign has been calling Obama a liar at the same time - without such rigorous proof. But Romney is the one who's butthurt and whining for an apology. Luckily, the rest of DU can see that.

Can you, now?

[silverweb]

28. Okay, so I've got a question.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]How come this law isn't enforced when news networks and commentators knowingly lie all the time to members of Congress (legislative branch) and the public (decisionmaking body aka voters) within their jurisdiction?

There was a ruling that said it was okay for Fox News to lie. Under the above, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, that is a very, very bad ruling and contradicts actual law.

[SemperEadem]

31. You need to direct your question to someone who practices law

because I don't. I just know that lying on a federal form is a felony.

[silverweb]

36. Yeah.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I was being rhetorical, not expecting a real answer here, but maybe I should repeat the question in a separate thread.

[Tx4obama]

37. I think that Cutter did NOT step in it. See below

Axelrod: We Never Called Romney A Felon, Just Said He Might Have Committed A Felony
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/david-axelrod-on-cnn-we-never-called-romney-a-felon-just-said-he-might-have-committed-a-felony/

And see OP regarding Cutter too: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014167021

[Tx4obama]

38. Btw, I read somewhere that it was actually a FactCheck.org article that said that about the felony..

first before Cutter did.

The same FactCheck article that Romney as been referring to to defend himself.

[OverseaVisitor]

45. Nope

Mitt was in 2 places.

Stephanie Cutter merely state very clearly you need to chose one or the other.

Then she just lay out clearly the consequence of either of that places.

Hence now we see a third dimension.

Very foggy very grey cause it is nether here nor there.

In simple term A or B Mitt

Oooops neither: unfair question waaaah felony waaaah lying to the Americans people

Waaaah

[madokie]

47. I don't think Stephanie stepped into anything

Your using, 'stepping into' suggest shit and shit isn't the truth of which she spoke.
rMoney is fucked six ways to Sunday and anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that. A flawed candidate if ever the pukes have had one and they've had plenty of them over the years.

[snooper2]

14. Dude, when you listen to Sean Hannity it's supposed to be taken with a grain of salt...

He is just an entertainer remember

[elleng]

16. SEC is an 'independent regulatory agency.'

They are formed and accorded power by Congress to regulate a specific industry. Within the authority granted them by Congress, they have the power to form and enforce their own regulations.

The only authority the U.S. CEO, POTUS, has over them is via appointments of members to such.

Compare with Executive agencies like Department of Defense.

[Faygo Kid]

8. Romney should apologize to his late parents.

George and Lenore were decent. Mitt is a pig.

[krawhitham]

17. #retroactively

[elbloggoZY27]

10. Apology !!!!!!

Are you kidding. The GOP is no friend of the President or the Democrats as well. Just follow their unrealistic agenda or AGENDA OF NO. Then on top of this they are trying to stop citizens from voting in November.

[progressivebydesign]

15. the GOP base calls the President "the Apologizer in Chief"

The Obama Campaign is scary-smart, they KNOW that any apology, any weakness, any kindness, will be used agains them.

[LynneSin]

13. Why should he? If Rmoney wants to be president then we should be able to judge him

On what he has done to deserve (or not deserve) the position.

Geez, They made such a big stink about the so-called 'Kenyan' birth certificate. What's the big deal if Obama was born in Kenya compared to the shit that Romney has done while running Bain Capital

[Vidar]

21. Maybe, he's finally leanring.

[LiberalLovinLug]

22. He knows he won't get one, the demand is made for future ads

Its like at a hockey game when the coach berates the ref enough on calls at the beginning of the game, he may just be too intimidated later in the game to call penalties against that team.

They are counting on using Obama's sense of civility against him....make him feel he's gone far enough.
I hope to gawd he doesn't fall for it and goes even further with exposing this fraud artist Mitt.

Also of course its for the corporate MSM to use. Already comparing this factual ad with the Swiftboating of Kerry. They are daring the Obama camp to put out another one so they can accuse him again of being relentless in his swiftboating, of maybe even surpassing and going "too far". This will also be used as pressure on the Obama camp to tone it down.

Please don't relent Mr. President.

[cstanleytech]

23. Actually Obama should offer Mitt an apology.

An apology along the lines of "Sorry Mitt, you made this bed now you have to lay in it. Thanks for the help though by refusing to release more of your tax returns."

[Spitfire of ATJ]

29. I think we are getting a peek into the negotiations

on extending the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich too.

"No."

"Hell no."

[humbled_opinion]

32. OK so I asked

The teaheads where I work about this issue. They say this issues will not move the polls, it is only serving as red meat to the "anti-business" far left OWS crowd who wouldn't ever vote for a Repub.... Some also said that this could backfire on the Obama camp as there is no proof in any of the accusations by the Obama campaign and they point to the "left leaning" Factcheck.org as basis. Some of the really hardcore conservatives say this is a smart move by Mitt playing the victim to Obama's lies and that Mitt camp should continue to attack Obama's credibility since it has been damaged already by the "Obamacare "TAX" plan", "you can keep your doctor", "broken promises that Catholic charities would not have to cover birthcontrol" "The tight control and unreleased Obama college records", "2008 campaign promise of bringing everyone together", "statements that stimulus would have lowered unemployment to 5 percent by now", "knowlege of fast and furious hiding documents, etc, etc...

Personally, I don't see any traction on the Bain issue unless in fact Romney broke the law, and if he did than he should be investigatged by Justice Dept.

I told them their issues are the red meat to conservatives and that no sane people are paying attention to any of that tripe....

Oh well time will tell...

[sky imager]

34. Fuck this whiney nipplehead

[JoePhilly]

35. Obama could tweet this ... "Ok Mitt, I'm sorry .... sorry that you are an asshat."

[and-justice-for-all]

39. Hells YES!!

Robocorps is a fucking liar...The documents clearly show that, just because you were not at the office does not mean he was not there anymore, he was bloody still in charge of BANE and he was fucking the damn thing from Utah. If he was no longer running it, then the documents should clearly show that, instead it shows Robocorp is has been fucking lying about it.

[zazzle15]

41. I Heard That Romney Offered $10,000.00

I heard that Mitt Romney offered President Obama $10,000.00 for his apology. President Obama said thanks but no thanks! Please give the money to your favorite charity. As a result Mitt Romney gave the money to himself. But he still is very angry!

[pacalo]

42. K&R!

[mountain grammy]

43. who would even ask such a stupid question? Apologize for what?

[tawadi]

44. Why should he?

[Deep13]

46. Apparently, Romney lies so easily he forgets that...

...that telling the truth is not grounds to demand an apology.

[Blanks]

48. What he forgets is that he has tried to make an issue of Obama being an apologist.

If Obama apologizes; it would just reinforce his message.

Romney never apologizes; Obama shouldn't to him.

[Brigid]

49. That is hilarious!

I don't know what Obama and friends were really laughing about, but this is great!