ABC began what is likely going to be a concerted attack on the Church of the Latter Day Saints now that Mitt Romney is the front runner for the GOP nomination.
Under the headline "Mitt Romney Sent Millions to Mormon Church" the story opens like this:
Underscoring the prominent, if little discussed role that Mitt Romney played as a Mormon leader, the private equity giant once run by the GOP presidential frontrunner carved his church a slice of several of its most lucrative business deals, securities records show, providing it with millions of dollars worth of stock in some of Bain Capital's most well-known holdings.
Romney has always been a major donor to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which requires that members "tithe," or give 10 percent of their income to the church. His family charity, called the Tyler Foundation, has given more than $4 million to the church in the past five years, including $1.8 million in 2008 and $600,000 in 2009. But because Romney, whose fortune has been estimated at $250 million, has never released his personal tax returns, the full extent of his giving has never been public.
Newly uncovered stock contributions made during Romney's Bain days suggest there is another dimension to Romney's support for the church -- one that could involve millions more than has been previously disclosed.
'Carved his church a slice'...brilliant choice of words. The story gets more balanced towards the end, but the opening paragraphs are all a lot of people will read, conveying the impression of a sinister, behind the scenes religious right wing mafia in which Romney's part is now 'newly uncovered'.
First of all, this is Mitt Romney's money, honestly earned and he is entitled to do what he pleases with it.The fact that he chose to give his money to an entity he has confidence will put the money to uses he approves of rather than the federal government is immaterial, and a decision a great many Americans make.
If Governor Romney wanted merely to avoid taxes, there are plenty of other avenues he could choose. Only the dinosaur media could take someone's admirable charitable impulses and try to turn it into a negative - if that someone is a Republican. Has ABC ever questioned how much money the Obamas gave over the years to Reverend Wright's bigoted little church? Based on the mansion the Obama's Trinity Church built for him when he retired, it must have been a nice chunk of change.
The LDS, by the way, is not the only religion that asks its members to tithe and just as with other faiths it is an ideal, not a requirement as ABC would have it. Moreover, while I'm not an LDS member I have personally seen how the LDS uses its money to take care of members facing financial, personal and medical emergencies. This kind of self reliance was something Mormons cultivated when they faced prejudice and persecution in the Church's early history..something they have in common with Jews, I might add.
This sleazy non-story is not going to be the last attempt to attack Governor Romney and the LDS by the dinosaur media. They're just getting warmed up.
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