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Mitt Romney Dismisses Secret Corporate Contributions: 'No Harm, No Foul' (VIDEO)

First Posted: 08/25/11 06:43 PM ET Updated: 10/25/11 06:12 AM ET

WASHINGTON -- In a town hall event on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed a question about the controversy over a mystery $1 million contribution made through a dummy corporation by telling the questioner, "No harm, no foul."

The controversy over the contribution erupted after the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future, which is run by top former Romney campaign workers, revealed that one of its donors was an unknown company called W Spann LLC. An investigation by NBC discovered that W Spann was formed one month before it made the $1 million contribution and then dissolved a few months later. Calls for an investigation by campaign finance watchdogs pushed former Bain Capital executive Ed Conard to reveal that he was the source of the contribution. Restore Our Future has since amended its filing to show that Conard made the $1 million contribution and not W Spann.

Romney's response to the question appears to show that the candidate knows a little bit about Conard's intentions:

AUDIENCE: I did hear that there was a company formed, which gave your campaign $1 million. Do you remember this? A few weeks ago. So, can you explain that?

ROMNEY: Yeah. There's a guy named Ed Conard who had a company. I think he was gonna give to a bunch of candidates, but then he decided not to. And, uh, he gave $1 million to a PAC that supports me and then he said, "Oh, it's me!"

AUDIENCE: (inaudible)

ROMNEY: Well, there's no need to have the company if he's not going to give to any other candidates so he gave to me. He's given to me before. One of my partners -- so it's not hidden, it's all out in the open.

AUDIENCE: But, uh, you see there's the spirit of something and there's the legalities of something. And, um, it just seems that this company was formed just, in relation to the Supreme Court ruling, to get money to your campaign and then dissolve itself.

ROMNEY: And -- and -- given the fact. You make -- you said it's a company acting as a person, I didn't get you. It may well be. Take it up with him. Uh, but there's actually--given the fact that he's said, "Oh, it's me." I don't think there was -- if you will, no harm, no foul.

Romney's statements ignore most of the record of the controversy over Conard's contribution through the W Spann corporation and could raise new questions about his knowledge of the contribution from Conard. It is illegal for political action committees, like Restore Our Future, to coordinate with candidate campaign committees. It would also be illegal for Romney to have solicited a contribution of more than $5,000 for Restore Our Future.

Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer previously said in a statement, "These Super PACs are nothing more than shadow arms of a presidential campaign that provide a vehicle for massive circumvention and evasion of the contribution limits applicable to donations made directly to a presidential candidate’s campaign committee."

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WASHINGTON -- In a town hall event on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed a question about the controversy over a mystery $1 million contribution made through a dummy co...
WASHINGTON -- In a town hall event on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed a question about the controversy over a mystery $1 million contribution made through a dummy co...
 
 
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COMMUNITY PUNDITS
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Scribe57 10:31 PM on 08/25/2011
And -- and -- given the fact. You make -- you said it's a company acting as a person, I didn't get you. It may well be. Take it up with him.
"He" isn't running for president, Willard. You are. 

There sure seems to be a lot of things Repub candidates don't want to talk about. It usually involves money. Or something they said in the past that they'd rather pretend they  Read More...
03:34 PM on 08/29/2011
Gad's! Am I the only one that can see the greed in this guy's eyes!
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dgtrust
Castration of Democracy is NOT a Medical Procedure
01:01 PM on 08/28/2011
I dream somebody would call Romney ‘my friend’ in his face, and ask him a question if he is aware that the first sentence of Constitution starts with "We the People of the United States" but not with We the Corporations of the United States.

PS. Secret Service has no need to be alerted – the people of the United States are not a threat to Romney, it is wise versa.
01:05 PM on 08/27/2011
By making comments like that and out right saying that he believes Corporations are People,Mitt Romney is actually doing the Voters a great service. He is giving you every Reason you need to Not Vote for Him. You don't even have to read between the Lines with this guy. If you are not an Oil Company, a Hedge fund or are not a Millionaire (at least).Mitt Romney offers you nothing but more Hardship.If you work for a living and are planning to support Him you may as well just Stab yourself in the Back now and get it over with now.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
den1953
The best politicians are for free!
12:59 PM on 08/27/2011
Hey America don't be to rough on poor Mitt Romney someone has to pay for those million dollar home renovations?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Dan1902
United we bargain,divided we beg!
12:32 PM on 08/27/2011
"Mitt looks like the guy that just fired you>"--Huckabee 2008 LOL
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newamericanliberal
Facts don't stop being true by your disbelief
12:15 PM on 08/27/2011
Wonder what he would say if Rick Perry did this? Or Obama. Rick is too dumb, O too smart to do it though. Also, Rick has made a lot of enemies over the years, not well connected at all.

NAL
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left in vermont
go ahead. tread on them.
12:15 PM on 08/27/2011
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
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SolarArray
Republican = Trash America, Any Cost
10:51 AM on 08/27/2011
The Flip-A-Tron flippin' and floppin'.
12:39 AM on 08/29/2011
He eminates John Kerry. And you know what it did to him.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ColoradoCool
Relentless...
04:06 AM on 08/27/2011
Is anyone else revulsed by Romney's glib shallowness and totally unprincipled mind set?
12:43 AM on 08/29/2011
I'm surprised at Romney.Mormons are supposed to be a principled and devout religious people.
But it seems like Romney may be straying off of that path.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
almchrl13
02:50 AM on 08/27/2011
EWWWWWWWWWWWW
01:16 AM on 08/27/2011
Looking at this poll:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/149180/Perry-Zooms-Front-Pack-2012-GOP-Nomination.aspx
it's evident that there are three Republican candidates with credible support at this point, namely:

Perry
Romney
Bachmann

(It's reasonably clear that Ron Paul has no realistic chance to get the Republican nomination.)

We also know that Obama is suffering weakening support (http://www.gallup.com/poll/149003/Obama-Weekly-Job-Approval-Lowest-Administration.aspx) and that winning the election is not a foregone conclusion for him.

This means that we need to care who the Republican nominee is. Now, you might think that if it's Bachmann or Perry, the crazy factor will actually help Obama return to the White House. And that may be correct, but it's a dangerous gamble given an angry electorate and what will likely continue to be a weak economy. For my part, therefore, if the choice is between the three above, I'll be hoping Romney is the nominee, because as bad as he is, Perry and Bachmann are considerably worse.
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newamericanliberal
Facts don't stop being true by your disbelief
12:16 PM on 08/27/2011
Giving up so soon? No republican in this lot is acceptable. Period.

O in 2012

NAL
07:21 PM on 08/29/2011
I'm not sure I can think of *any* Republican that I'd find acceptable, let alone any of these. The point is not that any of these candidates are acceptable, but rather that, should Obama fail to be re-elected, we should wind up with the least bad of an admittedly awful set of choices.

Sorry, I guess this is a bit of a depressing point, but Obama's polling makes him somewhat less than a sure thing at this juncture.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Zilo
12:34 PM on 08/27/2011
They're all terrible, terrible choices.
07:16 PM on 08/29/2011
I agree, but at least there is a modicum of sanity emanating from Romney. My point is simply that if we wind up with one of these candidates he would likely be the least terrible, though perhaps that is cold comfort.

My own preferences would be to the left of Obama, and while I will certainly vote for him, I fear, as noted above, that his re-election is not assured.
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nixthetrix
aiming for the center , being pushed to the left
11:35 PM on 08/26/2011
Big harm , major foul . Romney intends to ride the Citizens United train for all its worth . Most politicians have the civility to donate such questionable donations to charity . Apparently he thinks charity begins at home . His home (always) .
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newamericanliberal
Facts don't stop being true by your disbelief
12:17 PM on 08/27/2011
His new home he is building in Cali.

NAL
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Melinda Brunner
10:34 PM on 08/26/2011
Again, this is another reason to get Money Out of Politics! We need campaign reform.
No harm, no foul??? For him and his cronies maybe. But I am just a middle class working fool. Plenty harm and plenty foul.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/ns/msnbc_tv-the_dylan_ratigan_show#44080879

Great link
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ColoradoCool
Relentless...
04:10 AM on 08/27/2011
I saw that rant! I thought it was Dylan's finest moment! Fanned!
09:45 PM on 08/26/2011
Thank you Supreme Court for all your earthly wisdom........
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Melinda Brunner
10:31 PM on 08/26/2011
Aren't they a remarkable nine......not.
cmagno
"I stand by what I said, whatever it was."
10:00 AM on 08/27/2011
four of them are okay...let's not forget that...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Robert A Alba
08:50 PM on 08/26/2011
Some of these candidates for the presidency seem to have a more rarified conception of morals and ethics than the rest of us. It seems to go something like this. " I have a shitload of money and that puts me at a different level than the rest of you non-entities. If I need even more than the obscene amount I already have I can get it in any way I damn well please. There really are no ethics or morals for the few people like myself...what we say and do is ethical...what we say and do is moral....that's just the way it is. Please don't ask me to expand on what I just said. You just have to accept the fact that people like myself are different from the you. That's just the way it is. No harm no foul."
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
muck-raker
give me liberty or give me death
09:35 AM on 08/27/2011
Robert that attitude seems to prevail...check out his short read

http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2010/07/waltzing.html#more
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newamericanliberal
Facts don't stop being true by your disbelief
01:56 PM on 08/27/2011
Nice url...thanks.

NAL
01:00 AM on 08/29/2011
One more reason that I hesitate to donate to the NRC .I am wondering where that money actually goes. Good idea for them too stand on a street corner with a sign,,,"Will work for Food Stamps." Opps,,,I forgot,That one is on the chopping block too...Just a thought..