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| Mitt Romney 'victims' gaffe: key players | Mitt Romney 'victims' gaffe: key players |
| (4 months later) | |
| Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is in turmoil after he was secretly recorded suggesting that 47% of Americans were government-dependent "victims" who did not pay taxes. The video, recorded a few months ago at a behind-closed-doors fundraising event, has been published by Mother Jones with election day seven weeks away. Some of the other figures associated with the story are: | Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is in turmoil after he was secretly recorded suggesting that 47% of Americans were government-dependent "victims" who did not pay taxes. The video, recorded a few months ago at a behind-closed-doors fundraising event, has been published by Mother Jones with election day seven weeks away. Some of the other figures associated with the story are: |
| Marc Leder | Marc Leder |
| The private equity fund boss organised the fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida, at which Mitt Romney made the comments. Leder was reportedly inspired to get into private equity after a visit, years ago, to Romney's investment firm. Romney was an early investor in Leder's business, Sun Capital, which has grown to oversee about $8bn (£5bn) in equity. Since 2008, 25 of its companies – about one in every five it owns – have filed for bankruptcy, according to the New York Times. Leder and his defenders say many of the businesses in which Sun Capital invests are already in trouble when purchased, and that he has saved many companies and jobs. He is alleged to have hosted debauched parties including one at which a couple performed sex acts in front of other guests. Leder says the media portrayal of him as a party animal is "absolutely incorrect". He says: "I spend a small percentage throwing some parties, attending some parties. I like music. I like to dance." | The private equity fund boss organised the fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida, at which Mitt Romney made the comments. Leder was reportedly inspired to get into private equity after a visit, years ago, to Romney's investment firm. Romney was an early investor in Leder's business, Sun Capital, which has grown to oversee about $8bn (£5bn) in equity. Since 2008, 25 of its companies – about one in every five it owns – have filed for bankruptcy, according to the New York Times. Leder and his defenders say many of the businesses in which Sun Capital invests are already in trouble when purchased, and that he has saved many companies and jobs. He is alleged to have hosted debauched parties including one at which a couple performed sex acts in front of other guests. Leder says the media portrayal of him as a party animal is "absolutely incorrect". He says: "I spend a small percentage throwing some parties, attending some parties. I like music. I like to dance." |
| James Carter | James Carter |
| The grandson of the former president Jimmy Carter is credited as a "research assistant" on the story published by Mother Jones about Romney's gaffe. On his Twitter profile, Carter describes himself as "looking for work". He told New York magazine: "I've been searching for clips on Republicans for a long time, almost every day. I just do it for fun." He said he spotted the clip on YouTube and tracked down the person who claimed to have secretly taped and uploaded the video. Carter could be forgiven for enjoying a sense of schadenfreude given that Romney has tried to hurt Obama by comparing him to Carter's grandfather. Romney has accused both men of being weak on foreign policy, in the wake of the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and on the economy. | The grandson of the former president Jimmy Carter is credited as a "research assistant" on the story published by Mother Jones about Romney's gaffe. On his Twitter profile, Carter describes himself as "looking for work". He told New York magazine: "I've been searching for clips on Republicans for a long time, almost every day. I just do it for fun." He said he spotted the clip on YouTube and tracked down the person who claimed to have secretly taped and uploaded the video. Carter could be forgiven for enjoying a sense of schadenfreude given that Romney has tried to hurt Obama by comparing him to Carter's grandfather. Romney has accused both men of being weak on foreign policy, in the wake of the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and on the economy. |
| David Corn | David Corn |
| The journalist who wrote the exclusive story is a veteran on the political scene, having been Washington editor of the Nation magazine for 20 years before joining Mother Jones as Washington bureau chief in 1997. Corn helped to secure the release of Sarah Palin's emails last year. He was a vocal critic of the case being presented for war in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and, with Michael Isikoff, wrote the New York Times bookseller Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War. He also wrote The Lies of George W Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception, another New York Times bestseller. | The journalist who wrote the exclusive story is a veteran on the political scene, having been Washington editor of the Nation magazine for 20 years before joining Mother Jones as Washington bureau chief in 1997. Corn helped to secure the release of Sarah Palin's emails last year. He was a vocal critic of the case being presented for war in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and, with Michael Isikoff, wrote the New York Times bookseller Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War. He also wrote The Lies of George W Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception, another New York Times bestseller. |
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