Mitt Romney has repeatedly insisted that he had no active role at Bain Capital after February 1999, when he left the private equity firm to take over the Salt Lake City Olympics. In a federal disclosure form filed last August as part of his presidential bid, Romney said he "retired" from the company on Feb. 11, 1999, and since then "has not been involved in the operations of any Bain Capital entity in any way." That date has been repeated by Romney and his team throughout the presidential campaign.
But a growing pile of evidence shows that Romney was involved in Bain's dealings far longer than he claims. From signatures on Securities and Exchange Commission filings to his own sworn testimony, this body of proof reveals how Romney's fingerprints lingered on Bain transactions well into 2002, even while he was managing the Olympics.
While the Romney camp and other Republicans have blasted attacks on the former governor's business record as unfair, irrelevant, and "out of control," the inconsistencies between Romney's claims and the documents trail may be very significant to his campaign. While the issue of honesty may prove to be a sticking point with voters, the implication that Romney was still in an active role while Bain was involved in deals that sent American jobs overseas may cut even deeper.
Below, a look at the ways Romney's claims don't square with the evidence.
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