and his position at bain capital. and generally, when a businessman is the chairman, ceo and in this case the sole stockholder, he's accountable for the business and affairs of that company. and even if he's not making day-to-day decisions or managing the investments of a company like this, which was a venture capital company, he's still legally responsible and should believe accountable for the business and affairs of that company. unfortunately, too many business executives have tried to exculpate themselves from that kind of accountabilities and it's one reason in 2002, congress passed the sarbanes zoxley exact. >> roberto, hello down there. i wanted to ask you to play referee here a little bit, because there's an article in "fortune" that came out that they're saying it exonerates romney from the suggestion he had day-to-day involvement. what they're saying they have found are offering documents for a bain capital fund from 2000 and from 2001 and show in these documents mitt romney is not listed as "a key investme

he did the same at bain capital llc, he was an executive again. this is covered up, but it's also another $100,000. the bottom line is mitt romney was active, according to this filing in 11 bain-related companies where he was the 100% owner in 2002, and then he was passively involved in a bunch of others. he makes the distinction. he also made lots of money from all these companies but we don't know how much because he won't release his tax return. so here to discuss these documents and the political fire storm surrounding all of this is aaron blake of "the washington post" and adam serwer of "mother jones," they come to us tonight from washington. both of their publications have been all over this story. thank you both for being insideshowinsidethe war room. >> thank you for having us. >> your paper fact checker section has been pretty adamant. but despite your story, they believe mitt romney has done nothing wrong. do you know whether they are giving the issue a second look now? i know they haven't talked about this document i'm looking at. do y

capital. >> bain capital. >> bain capital. >> bain capital. >> bain capital. >> bain capital walked away with a lot of money that they made off of this plant. >> reporter: the white house clearly wants to portray mitt romney's time at the helm of bain capital as a weak spot. in ad after ad, democrats are suggesting romney is a fat cat job outsourcer. an opportunistic financial predator. keep in mind that many of those claims appear to be backed with little or no evidence. >> the obama campaign is absolutely doubling down on the bain attack, no doubt about it. if the word triple down existed, they would be doing that as well. >> reporter: this political media analyst believes president obama was at one point looking to steal a page from reagan's playbook. planning an optimistic positive re-election campaign. till economic troubles and weak poll numbers hit hard. >> i think the obama folks were hoping to run a campaign like "morning in america" in 1984. but the campaign i think they're look at is much more the george w. bush campaign in 2004. >> the accusations that john kerry -- >> r

. >> in february of 1999, i left bain capital. >> no involvement with the management of bain capital after february of 1999. >> i had no role whatsoever in the management of bain capital after february of 1999. i had had no role whatsoever in the management of bain capital after february of 1999. relinquished management authority and role in bain capital after february of 1999. the truth is i left any role in bain capital in february of 1999. >> part of me was bummed i didn't get one of these mitt romney interviews when everybody else got one. i realize all he would have said i left bain capital in 1999. and i would say pardon? and i would say could i change the subject and he would say, i left bain capital in 1999. here's what matters, when he was at bain capital and when he left, really left. it's critical to mitt romney's viblt as a political candidate that he left bain capital in 1999 as he says and says. mitt romney's electability depends in part on that being true, which is why he says this all the time. >> i left that business in 1999 to help put the salt lake city olympics ba

and i had no role whatsoever in managing bain capital after

he said that i created jobs at bain capital. it talks exactly in president obama's campaign about what mitt romney's record is at bain capital. >> what he says that outsourcing occurred after 1999 when he left bain capital. i know that you point that s.e.c. filing -- >> george -- george, you say point to it. he signed it. he was chairman, ceo, president, you can't, as president of the united states, you can't have a sign on your desk, gone fishing. you can put that on the desk, basically, the buck stops there. you can't say to the s.e.c., i'm chairman, ceo and president, i'm not responsible, i'm not accountable. then he says the reason i should be president is bain capital. well, let's look at it. when you look at, it's not the record presented. that's the policies that led to jobs going overseas. he said, he told people, manufacturing is not part of our future. 500,000 jobs have been created in the manufacturing sector in the last three years, it is part of our future. if you're going to build and make sure that the 21st centur

i also was part of a company that was sold to bain capital. i was on the board of a company that sold that bain capital. we thought they did a terrific job. i did realize some financial gain from that. having said all that, knowing what i know about the bain capital partnership, how i think they are people of real integrity. they're very well regarded in boston. i think the romney people, the burden is on the obama people to prove this. factcheck.org today, which is a respected organization, said they stood by their reporting. that romney had no active engagement with bain capital after february 1999. i would point out that that report by factcheck.org was co-written by brooks jackson who used to be a very, very good investigative reporter for cnn. >> yeah. both of the campaigns have gone all in this week on the message that the other side is lying about bain, romney's business record. how critical do they think this debate is to the campaign? and where could it have the biggest impact? >> in some ways, inside the obama campaign, they might sa

as bain capital has said. governor romney left bain capital in february of 1999 to run the olympics and had no input on investments or management of companies after that point. the obama campaign on the other hand is playing this up. spokeswoman stephanie cutter telling us, quote this puts him at the center of responsibility for troubling investments involving outsourcing and bankruptcies. it also raises serious questions about why he resented, misrepresented date of his departure. because there is still more about this period and beyond he doesn't want people to know. campaign counsel bob bower going further. he says the question of the truth in sec filings would trigger an investigation, as well as civil violations of the law. romney campaign is demanding an apology from president obama for that. let's get some perspective. from chief national correspondent john king. and senior political analyst david gergen. when the romney campaign says he had nothing to do with the company post-1999, is there any reason

bain capital after february of 1999. >> i had no role whatsoever in the management of bain capital after february of 1999. >> i had no role whatsoever in the management of bain capital after february of 1999. >> i left in february of 1999. >> relinquished on management authority and role in bain capital after february of 1999. >> the truth is that i left any role at bain capital in february of '99. >> i will admit that pt of me was bummed that i didn't get one of these mitt romney interviews who everybody else got one. but on the other hand, i realize all he would have said to me is, i left bain capital in 1999. and i would have said, pardon? and he would have said, i left bain capital in 99. i would say, can i change the subject? he would say, i left in 1999. here is why it matters. the question of bain capital, when mitt romney was there and when he left. it's critical to mitt romney's vie blability as a political candidate that he left bain capital in 1999 as he says and says and says. his electability depends in part on that being true, which is why he says it all the time. >> i left

capital and mitt romney helped start bain capital and still profits heavily from bain capital, i got really upset with this. >> good to have you with us. thanks for watching. the romney campaign was in search of a narrative yet again today. but they were stopped at every turn by mitt romney's mysterious finances. the day began with a brand new ad from the obama campaign. >> romney admits that over the last two years he's paid less than 15% in taxes on $43 million in income. makes you wonder if some years he paid any taxes at all. we don't know because he has released just one full year of his tax returns and won't release anything before 2010. >> i put out as much as we're going to put out. >> what is mitt romney hiding? >> since mitt romney still has no answer about his finances, his campaign took a dart board m mentality to attack president obama. he tried the latest line of attack during a stop in pennsylvania. >> he said and i quote, and he's speaking by the way of businesses like this one, small businesses, big businesses, middle sized businesses, mining businesses, manufacturin

i was not running bain capital and therefore am not responsible for the actions of bain capital when i left. >> now, again, all this matters because romney has been trying to duck responsibility for the thousands of people who were laid off by bain capital during those years. these are the people whose voices we're hearing in tv ads released by the obama campaign. >> it was like going to war every single day. they were starting to try to figure out ways. >> we started having quality issues at that plant. >> they weren't concerned about your health. it was like working in the sweat shops of the '30s. >> like a vampire. he came in and sucked the life out of us. >> they made as much money off it as they could, and they closed it down and filed for bankruptcy without concern for the families of the communities. >> bain capital was the majority owner. they hired the management. mitt romney was deeply involved in the influence that he exercised over these companies. >> now, these voices are why mr. romney's time at bain matter. and we need to get to the answers. joining me now is chris hay

therefore, i was not running bain capital, and therefore not responsible for the actions of bain capital when i left. >> i am not response for bain capital when i left, and i left in 1999. mr. romney has made that same argument in response to criticism over a whole lot of things that his company did. the "washington post" last month ran this rather devastating story on romney and bain, investing in firms that helped american companies shift jobs overseas. mr. romney's company investing in and managing companies that called themselves pioneers in outsourcing. again with the steel plant, mr. romney's response is i wasn't there. i didn't do it. i don't have to answer for anything at bain after 1999. i left. the romney campaign asked for a retraction of the washington the romney campaign asked for a retraction of the washington post stair. they said that story is wrong. well, it maybe should have been a sign when the "washington post" did not retract its story about mr. romney and those outsourcing firms despite the campaign's very public demand. over the last few weeks david corn at mother

capital and mitt romney helped start bain capital, and still profits heavily from bain capital, i got really upset with this. >> so last night, freeport city counsel unanimously approved a resolution organized by the workers saying mitt romney, asking mitt romney to save their jobs. the resolution called on romney to come to freeport, illinois, to meet the people directly affected by bain capital's outsourcing and step in and stop the outsourcing of these jobs from freeport to china. romney spokesperson told the huffington post romney left bain in 1999 and has no knowledge of the situation in freeport. his surrogates appear to be just as clueless as the former govern. when asked if mitt romney should intervene, allen kinzinger, a romney supporter, ignored the question. >> when you talk about bain capital, it's an attempt by this administration to not talk about their record. which is really what the american voters are going to vote on. >> i'm not talking about the administration. i'm talking ability real people who are losing their jobs. >> the reality is when you talk about bain cap

i had no ongoing activity or involvement in the affairs of bain capital because i went out to run the olympics. >> that was mitt romney speaking to nbc's own peter alexander. we'll be talking with him shortly. all of this happens as the firestorm over romney's time at bain capital continues to rage this morning. the obama camp is questioning when exactly governor romney was in charge and what role he played at bain capital. and romney is addressing the controversy, doing it head on, saying the president's camp is making outrageous charges. joining me is richard wolffe. good morning. >> good morning, alex. >> uniquely mitt romney all over the air waives yesterday, five television interviews. did he take control of the story? >> his performance was assertive and confident. stylistically it was fine, but the substance of what he said doesn't just leave unanswered questions, it raises new questions really. when he said as you just heard in that clip, he had no responsibility for this company at this time, it's very hard to square that with the official papers he signed. when most people s

mitt romney left bain capital in neb 199 to run the olympics. due to the sudden nature of mr. romney's departure he remained the sole stockholder while ownership was being transferred to the group of partners who took over management of the firm in 1999. accordingly, mr. romney was reported in various capacities on s.e.c. filings during this period. obama deputy campaign manager steph stephanie cutter says the disparity in the date may be a felony offense. >> either mitt romney in his own words or his own signature was misrepresenting his position at bain to the sext, which is a felony or misrepresenting to the american people to avoid the consequences of his investments. if he was lying to the people, that was a real care terk and trust issue. >> romney's campaign was outraged saying "president president obama ought to apologize for the out of control behavior of his staff, which demeans the office he holds. the nation's oldest civil rights group ea from both campaigns. vice president joe biden received a warm reception in houston just a day after mitt romney addressed the sa

it was perry who suggested seven months ago that romney's record at bain capital could be a fatal flaw in his presidential bid. >> there's a real difference between venture capitalism and vulture capitalism. venture capitalism we like. the fact of the matter is he's going to have to face up to this at some time or another. >> romney's campaign is working to fend off a wave of negative stories about his tenure at the financial firm. a "boston globe" article says romney was still listed as a top executive at the company years after his reported departure date back in 1999. the story reads in part, "the globe found nine s.e.c. filings submitted by four different business entities after february 1999 that describe romney as bain capital's boss. some show him with managerial control over five bain capital entities that were formed in january 2002." romney has repeatedly said he was not responsible for bain's business dealings after 1999 and shouldn't be blamed for the firm's decision to close american factories and move jobs overseas. his campaign pressed the globe for retraction and issued

and in bain capital, llc. and in this document, he distinguishes between the companies that he was active in and the companies that he had a passive role in. there are pages of companies here. some of which he did have a passive role in. have you seen this document? and does this, in fact, rebut the presumption that romney's team was -- he was passive. >> your team informed me of this document before we talked tonight. this would certainly be an important piece of new information. this was other information that came out this evening that said he testified in 2002 that he had to leave salt lake to attend some board meetings in massachusetts, suggesting an active role. we know he was legally responsible but this would suggest he was involved in some of the day-to-day activities and even more so, personally responsible for the decisions that were made when american jobs were outsourced and companies were bankrupted and workers lost their jobs. >> jennifer: on this document, in addition, it's got him -- he has to

do you remember any involvement with bain capital from 1999 on? >> jan, i had no involvement with the management of bain capital after february of 1999. >> reporter: do you think the president owes you an apology because his campaign has suggested you're a criminal or a liar? >> absolutely. my goodness, what kind of a president would have a campaign that says something like that about the nominee of another party? this is reckless and absurd on his part. >> mason: jan, there's also a brewing controversy over those u.s. olympic uniforms for american athletes that were made in china. did romney have anything to say about that? >> reporter: anthony, i did ask him about those uniforms and here's what he had to say. >> i don't know the particulars of the circumstance so i really can't comment on that. i presume they have sponsors that are associated with uniforms and matters of that nature so i'm not going to weigh into the decisions made in that regard. >> mason: thanks, jan. jan, ralph lauren has just announced the uniforms made for the next olympics

bain capital in 1999. tell us how you interpret this. >> i guess it depends on how you define left. what we found is through a combination of government documents, some filed with the securities and exchange commission some filed with corporations formed in delaware and some that mitt romney filed himself as financial disclosures both at the state and federal level, they showed he was still the sole owner of bain capital. he was the president the ceo the chairman of the board up until 2002 which is three years after he claims to have left in 1999 to run the winter olympics in salt lake city. >> eliot: let me see if i get this right. somebody who is the ceo the president and the chairman of the board and owns 100% of it is saying he's no longer there. this is making the definition of is from a couple of years back seem almost simple. how can he say he's not there when he has all of those positions and if i recall your article is being paid at least $100,000 a year to be there. what is their defense to this?

capital, but i left any role at bain capital in february of 1999. and that's known and said by the people at the firm. it's said by the documents offering documents that the firm made subsequently about people investing in the firm. and i think anybody who knows i was running the olympics would understand that's where i was. i spent three years running the olympic games and after that was over, we worked out our departure. there's a difference between being a shareholder and a person who is running an entity. i had no role whatsoever in managing bain capital after february of 1999. by the way, this is all an effort on the part of the president's campaign to diverse attention from the fact that the president has been a failure when it comes to reigniting america's economy. we've had 41 straight months one employment above 8%. so he continues to try and find some way to attack me, other than to talk about policy. and it's time to talk about what it will take to get america working again. >> you also testified in 2002 in front of the massachusetts ball

with bain capital can hold and look at these s.e.c. documents and say, okay, it says right here, mitt romney is in charge of bain capital. boy, that makes me feel better, because i can deal with mitt romney, i like mitt romney. but if the company is saying, well, mitt romney's name was on these documents but other people were in charge of bain capital, this s.e.c. commissioner was telling me earlier this afternoon, that's a problem. that's not really being up-front with other investors, other companies doing business with bain capital. now, the romney campaign is pointing out, and accurately so, brooke, that factcheck.org and other fact checkers over at "the washington post," et cetera, have come out since these disclosures came out in "the globe" this morning and said, this doesn't change anything. the record so far shows that mitt romney was basically a passive manager of the company at that time, yes, his name was on these government documents, but this doesn't prove he was involved in outsourcing over at bain. i hope that makes sen

he left day-to-day control of bain capital, but he continued to be ceo and owner of bain capital, inc. he was -- he was the man, you know, who owned the place. he was in charge. he had delegated some of that authority to other people to do day-to-day deals but he was still the ceo of the company. and that's what our reporting shows and that's what we are dealing now with, is with the fallout of that. what are the implications? i think that's being sorted out. >> your reporting was precise, very careful and yet they were still, last thursday, they demanded some sort of retraction or correction. how did you guys handle that? >> we reviewed. so as it went on, the story broke thursday morning. as the day wore on people, you know, they put out a story in the morning saying this story is inaccurate. their spokeswoman, understand degree i can't asul. so as the day wore on, reporters started asking campaign if the story was inaccurate have you demanded a correction? well, the answer was no at that points. so they hastily at about 3:30 or 4:00 o'clock sent our eterred, marty barren, a note wit