President Obama says he will not apologize for his and his campaign's messages saying the financial company Bain Capital outsourced jobs under Mitt Romney’s leadership, despite Romney saying that’s not true.
The president made the statement during an interview Saturday with WAVY-TV in Virginia. The station is scheduled to air the interview Sunday night, but it can be seen now on WAVY’s website.
“We won’t be apologizing,” Obama said. “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."
The question did not directly address Romney’s call Friday for an apology after Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter suggested that in Security and Exchange Commission filings Romney misrepresented his position at Bain Capital, particularly when he officially left, which she said would either be a “felony” or a misrepresentation to Americans.
The Republican presidential candidate Friday also challenged Obama to "rein in" his campaign team and called the comment "absurd" and "beneath the dignity of the presidency."
Romney campaign adviser Kevin Madden said Sunday that news agency fact-checkers have repeatedly said records accurately show his candidate left Bain in 1999.
“This has been established, yet the Obama campaign and even the president himself continue to pursue” these inaccuracies, Madden said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
During the TV interview, the president also tried to deflect criticism that he has attacked Romney for running a firm that made money and created jobs.
"As the head of a private equity firm, [Romney’s] job was to maximize profits and help investors,” Obama said. “There is nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, that company also was investing in companies that were called by The Washington Post 'the pioneers of outsourcing.' Mr. Romney is now claiming he wasn't there at the time except his filings with the SEC listing says he was the CEO, chairman and president of the company.”
During a campaign stop in Virginia, the president continued his attack on Romney and Bain, saying, “I don’t want a pioneer in outsourcing. I want some in-sourcing. I want to bring companies back.”
The president made the statement during an interview Saturday with WAVY-TV in Virginia. The station is scheduled to air the interview Sunday night, but it can be seen now on WAVY’s website.
“We won’t be apologizing,” Obama said. “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."
The question did not directly address Romney’s call Friday for an apology after Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter suggested that in Security and Exchange Commission filings Romney misrepresented his position at Bain Capital, particularly when he officially left, which she said would either be a “felony” or a misrepresentation to Americans.
The Republican presidential candidate Friday also challenged Obama to "rein in" his campaign team and called the comment "absurd" and "beneath the dignity of the presidency."
Romney campaign adviser Kevin Madden said Sunday that news agency fact-checkers have repeatedly said records accurately show his candidate left Bain in 1999.
“This has been established, yet the Obama campaign and even the president himself continue to pursue” these inaccuracies, Madden said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
During the TV interview, the president also tried to deflect criticism that he has attacked Romney for running a firm that made money and created jobs.
"As the head of a private equity firm, [Romney’s] job was to maximize profits and help investors,” Obama said. “There is nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, that company also was investing in companies that were called by The Washington Post 'the pioneers of outsourcing.' Mr. Romney is now claiming he wasn't there at the time except his filings with the SEC listing says he was the CEO, chairman and president of the company.”
During a campaign stop in Virginia, the president continued his attack on Romney and Bain, saying, “I don’t want a pioneer in outsourcing. I want some in-sourcing. I want to bring companies back.”