Did Mitt Romney Commit a Crime while Governor of Massachusetts?

[Bill USA]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-zuesse/did-mitt-romney-commit-a-_b_1819061.html?utm_hp_ref=politics


On August 17th, Britain's Telegraph (which is perhaps the world's best daily newspaper) published a stunning investigative news report by Jon Swaine, which alleged that when Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachussetts, he "profited from a marketing company that was contracted by the state," and which was controlled by Paul Ryan's brother, Tobin Ryan, who had been an employee of Bain consulting (Bain & Company), who had left Bain to start a company that was financed by $5 million from Bain Capital, which Mitt Romney owned and still owns. "Both Mr Romney and Tobin Ryan ... also apparently stood to benefit from the $230 million ... sale of the [Ryan] company in 2005, while Mr. Romney remained in office" as Governor. Romney's having not divested himself of his financial interest in Ryan's company while that company was hired by the state "could have resulted in a $2,000 ... fine or a 2.5-year prison sentence. The potential punishments are now stronger. Asked repeatedly by The Daily Telegraph throughout this week whether Mr Romney had indeed profited from the company, had been aware of the potential conflict of interest, or had taken any action to avoid one, his campaign and Bain Capital declined to comment."

Tobin Ryan was a senior manager at Bain & Company when he started his firm in 1998, and he and his partner obtained the $5 million Bain Capital funding in June 2000. Then, "In December 2001, Imagitas [Ryan's company] secured a contract with Wisconsin, whose then-governor, Scott McCallum, was a political ally of Paul Ryan ... Imagitas announced a similar partnership with Massachussets in July 2002, shortly before Mr Romney was elected as the state's Republican governor." Then, the firm was sold in 2005.

Under Massachussetts law, Governor Romney was required to report the possible conflict-of-interest here, and could have applied for an exemption that would have freed him from possible restrictions on actions regarding Imagitas. But, apparently, he did neither, and so his winnings from the sale of the Imagitas might be subject to legal scrutiny.

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They're Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST'S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.

[cr8tvlde]

1. Well, now, this is very interesting. R & R go Way Back.

Leave it to the Brits...lord knows no US outlet likely wants to sully themselves with the truth. Maybe there are a few things that "you people" may find out on our own?

[sad sally]

2. His lies and crimes just keep adding up. An affirmative action candidate? Hardly.

Did Mitt Romney Benefit From Affirmative Action At Harvard? - by Kathleen Pederson

I've discovered some troubling news. It appears that Mitt Romney has used affirmative action repeatedly when it comes to his college experiences at Harvard. Since this is such a hot topic in Boston at the moment, I thought I should write a diary about it.

For those who don't know, Mitt Romney attended Stanford University for one year in 1965. After receiving a religious deferment, Romney was excused from going to Vietnam and went to France for 2 1/2 years to do missionary work for the Mormon Church. When he came back to America, Romney finished his undergrad work at Brigham Young University, a private Mormon college in Provo, Utah, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in 1971.

snip

Although Romney did well at BYU, earning a degree in English, so did tens of thousands of other students across the country, many from much tougher schools with better reputations and a more rigorous curriculum. So how did Romney get accepted into Harvard?

Simple answer, his father. George Romney, the former Governor of Michigan and a big wheel in the Nixon administration at the time, was a well-known figure who had a lot of clout. Mitt benefited from his family background, his "privileged pedigree was common knowledge to many of his classmates" (p.91). It appears that Romney may have gotten accepted to Harvard because of his birthright and because of his family name. Romney seems to have moved ahead of everyone else through affirmative action, the worst kind of affirmative action, the kind that rewards the sons of the wealthy and well-connected over everyone else.

But it doesn't stop there. Out of the 1350 students admitted to the Harvard Business and Law Schools, Romney was 1 of 15 who were selected to take part in the newly created joint MBA/JD program. Wow, did he hit the jackpot, or what? The joint program is an accelerated program that allowed Romney to get his two degrees one year earlier than otherwise. It's unclear whether Romney had to pay two full tuitions or not, but it bears investigating.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/23/1094103/-Did-Mitt-Romney-Benefit-From-Affirmative-Action-At-Harvard