By Oscar Tollast
A coalition of organisations has requested Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney face ethics charges in relation to his involvement with the federal government’s bailout of the auto industry in 2009.
United Auto Workers Union, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, People for the American Way and Public Campaign, and other groups are members of the coalition.
In an open letter, the United Auto Workers Union has requested the charges, saying, “A coalition of community, labor and good government organisations is calling on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics to investigate presidential candidate Mitt Romney for noncompliance with the Ethics in Government Act and compel him to either disclose his investments or divest them.”
The letter goes on to say a number of news reports have provided “concrete information” that Romney’s undisclosed stock holdings create a serious conflict of interest.
The coalition demands the Office of Government Ethics take action now to ensure Romney is in full compliance with the law and to allow voters to make a credible evaluation when deciding to vote.
In a debate earlier this year, Romney suggested the auto industry shouldn’t have gone through a bailout but should have experienced a managed bankruptcy.
The former Governor of Massachusetts has spent much of the campaign building on his reputation as a businessman, ready to restore America’s economy.