Romney paid $100,000 to purge computer records, report says

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney

/ AP

White House hopeful Mitt Romney spent nearly $100,000 of taxpayer's money to replace staff computers when he left office as governor of Massachusetts, the news agency Reuters reported Tuesday, reprising questions about whether records of his tenure were properly preserved.

The amount spent was well above levels reported earlier by the Boston Globe, which published a story last month saying that 11 Romney administration officials bought 17 hard drives from the governor's office, paying $65 for each one, and that the Romney administration's e-mails were all wiped from a server.

At the time, Romney said his aides followed the letter of the law and handled the records properly. Asked about the Reuters report, Romney spokesman Andrea Saul said "Governor Romney followed precedent in the handling of documents in his office and there was nothing unusual about it. He voluntarily transferred 700 boxes of documents to the state archives, more than any prior governor."

The fact-checking website Politifact conducted its own review of the issues raised by the initial Globe story and concluded, "the Romney administration's decision to erase most electronic files is neither illegal nor unusual."

"According to state records officials, past governors such as (William) Weld, (Paul) Cellucci and (Jane) Swift have not made their electronic records available to the state archive or to the incoming administration, according to state staff. They have submitted some computer print-outs to the state archive, but Romney did that, as well. So we rate Romney's claim, true," Politifact said.

It is unclear whether or not computers or hard drives that Romney himself used were among those purged.

Romney himself has he "followed not only the law, but in Massachusetts, the precedent of prior governors and legislators."

"I don't think there has ever been an administration that says, let's give you our computer files and emails," Romney said last month on the campaign trail in New Hampshire after the Globe story was published.

Theresa Dolan, who served as director of administration for six governors, including Romney, between 1985 and 2008, told Reuters that Romney's efforts to control or wipe out records from his governorship were unprecedented.

"No one had ever inquired about, or expressed the desire" to purchase their computer hard drives before Romney's tenure, Dolan told the news agency for the story published Tuesday.

In November, however, Dolan told Politifact deleting files was "routine."

"Computers to the best of my recollection would be re-imaged and old files deleted between administrations. ... You wouldn't just start up your computer and find files waiting there," she said last month.

[awalvarado_-]

Excellent Review

[jonstorm-2009]

Oh so sad, even the tried and true American Brand CBS has to expose the lies and deception of its truly unfit yet to rule again vagabonds. Try as you might Conservatives, CBS has always been true to America. Walter Cronkite would never ever succumb to the Republican Scoundrels and their fleesing of America. I love CBS, GM, Procter and Gamble and my American Brethen. Run back to your Aussie, aka Fox News. ******... ba bye...

[MegaProcrastination]

So, last week was Take Down Cain Week and this must be Take Down Romney Week? Let's take down Gingrich next, okay? :D

[Jade_Lilienthal]

How many people in Massachusetts were unable to secure heating assistance this year while Mitt Romney spent $100,000k replacing office computers?

[netjunkie1]

Whatever is fair is all I have to say....

[lilbear925]

Just another crooked politician trying to hide something from the public.

[Archie_Clements]

Dear CBS: How much money did Obama spend purging and sealing records. You can't even find out his college grades. You have no idea if he got into Columbia as an affirmative action baby or just pulled strings. And you don't know if he traveled to Pakistan as Barry Sorento, with a dual nationality, using an Indonesian passport. Nothing wrong with dual nationality, three of my kids have it. The ones in the Air Force had to renounce the non-US citizenships to get a clearance. Did Barry renounce his Indonesian citizenship. You don't know do you? And you were, and still are, afraid to ask.

[truthvtold]

BAM

[uisignorant]

You are correct Rafterman1, they found nothing and that was the problem.

[prohb]

Rommney - a perennial flip-flopper who will do anything to get elected...even lie as he did in his ad. Also, he would stack his administration with wacko's to placate the tea party types. We sure don't need a Republican in the White House. They already control the House of Reps and the Supreme Court and they essentially control the Senate with filibuster and cloture votes so nothing gets done. And look at what their economic jihad tactics have done to our country. Unfortunately, a vote for the Republicans would only turn this country over to the rich and the corporations. We need Obama in to balance them out and prevent even more terrible things from happening to the middle class, the poor and the environment.

[stn_sage]

Once AGAIN, we see an example of how dumb these politicians think the public IS!
NOBODY---especially a politician who tries to portray himself as
financially responsible---spends $100,000 dollars of his or the public's monies---to purge hard-drives unless THERE IS SOMETHING
ON THEM, that he doesn't want others to know!
Because, otherwise, the next occupant can continue to use the drives with new material overlaying the old, without any problem!
SO...what was on the drives that he doesn't want us to know about?
What he did, may or may not be illegal, according to state law,
but, it is the action of a man who CANNOT be trusted!
That, is a FACT!

[gitnyre]

Guess many people have heard that the media takes things out of context. Yes it's true and more so on conservatives. As for hiding didn't Obama run on having a transparent admistration yet his history is a gapping hole. If the media was objective these holes would be filled, unless they don't want the facts to be presented.

[uisignorant]

I see the censors are out.