Romney slams Obama's ‘dishonest' attacks, rejects calls to release more tax returns
— -- Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of running a campaign based on "falsehood and dishonesty" and brushed aside suggestions—including from some Republicans—that he should release more years of tax returns.
In a Monday interview with "Fox & Friends," the presumptive Republican nominee rejected a claim from Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel who accused him over the weekend of "whining" about attacks on his record at Bain Capital.
"I think when people accuse you of a crime you have a reason to go after them pretty hard, and I'm going to continue going after him," Romney said, arguing that Obama's attacks are "misdirected" and "dishonest." "What does it say about a president whose record is poor that all he can do in his campaign is attack me?"
Romney slammed Obama for running a "campaign based on falsehood and dishonesty," insisting it won't have "long legs" this fall. Asked if he should have been more aggressive in pushing back against Democratic attacks on his record at Bain, the ex-governor argued that the "best offense is to look at the president's record."
"Wouldn't it be interesting, Mr. President, if you spent some time looking at your record," Romney said.
Obama's attacks "may work in Chicago," Romney added, "but it won't work across America."
Romney ignored suggestions, including from a growing number of conservatives, that he should release more than two years of his tax returns, arguing it would only give more ammunition to the Obama campaign.
"John McCain ran for president and released two years of tax returns. John Kerry ran for president and his wife, who has hundreds of millions of dollars, she never released her tax returns. Somehow this wasn't an issue," Romney told Fox News. "The Obama people keep on wanting more and more and more, more things to pick through, more things for their opposition research to try and make a mountain out of and distort and to be dishonest about."
Romney insisted Americans care more about the economy and jobs than "attacks."
"The issue people care about is who can get the economy going again to help people have a brighter future," the presumptive GOP nominee said.
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