Romney camp denies "Anglo-Saxon heritage" comment

Updated: 6:43 p.m. ET

(CBS News) As Mitt Romney kicks off his European trip Wednesday with a visit to London, the Romney campaign is dismissing a report from the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph that an adviser to the campaign made comments suggesting the Republican presidential candidate's commitment to rebuilding the so-called "special relationship" between England and the United States  has to do with a sense of "Anglo-Saxon heritage."

According to the Telegraph, the adviser suggested that Mr. Obama could not understand the depth of the relationship between the two countries because he cannot fully appreciate the shared "Anglo-Saxon heritage."

"We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special," the adviser said of Romney, according to the Telegraph: "The White House didn't fully appreciate the shared history we have."

(Romney speaks at the VFW convention on Tuesday.)

Andrea Saul, Romney's press secretary, disputed the comments and emphasized that they did not reflect the beliefs of the former Massachusetts governor.

"It's not true. If anyone said that, they weren't reflecting the views of Governor Romney or anyone inside the campaign," she told CBSNews.com in an email. Saul did not comment on what specifically was not true.

Later on Wednesday, Romney elaborated on her response, asked about the quotes in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams.

"I'm generally not enthusiastic about adopting the comments made by people who are unnamed. I have a lot of advisers," he told Williams. "Actually we've gone from calling the rope line where I shake hands every day to the advice line. Because you have a lot of people that offer advice. So I'm not sure who this person is."

Romney added: "But I can tell you that we have a very special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. It goes back to our very beginnings -- cultural and- and historical. But I also believe the president understands that. So I- I don't agree with whoever that adviser might be."

Despite questions about the identity of the source, liberal commentators seized on the quote for its racial subtext: That Mr. Obama cannot understand the depth of the relationship between the two countries because his father is from Kenya.

In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden charged the Romney campaign with using the trip abroad to "score political points."

"Despite his promises that politics stops at the water's edge, Governor Romney's wheels hadn't even touched down in London before his advisors were reportedly playing politics with international diplomacy," he said in the statement. "This assertion is beneath a presidential campaign."

David Axelrod, a top campaign adviser to the president, called the quotes "stunningly offensive" on Twitter. 

"Mitt's trip off to flying start, even before he lands, with stunningly offensive quotes from his team in British press," he wrote.

(Romney on the campaign trail.)

The Romney campaign, meanwhile, hammered Biden for paying credence to the quote, and accused him of attempting to "divert voters' attention with specious shiny objects."

"Today, the race for the highest office in our land was diminished to a sad level when the Vice President of the United States used an anonymous and false quote from a foreign newspaper to prop up their flailing campaign. The President's own press secretary has repeatedly discredited anonymous sources, yet his political advisors saw fit to advance a falsehood," said Romney spokesman Ryan Williams in a statement.  "We have more faith in American voters, and know they will see this latest desperate ploy for what it is."

Per the Telegraph, this adviser and others quoted in the story spoke anonymously because they were not authorized by the Romney campaign to criticize Mr. Obama to foreign media.

One unnamed adviser in the Telegraph story, allegedly a member of Romney's foreign policy advisory team, also accused Mr. Obama of being "a Left-winger" who is "very comfortable with American decline."

When asked specifically how policy toward the U.K. would differ under Romney "the advisers could not give detailed examples," according to the Telegraph. "One conceded that on the European crisis: 'I'm not sure what our policy response is.'"

[teesway]

MITT ROMNEY'S FOREIGN POLICY TRIP WAS A SHAMEFUL FAILURE AS RACISM AND VOTER
Mainstream American media does not want to do a true comparison of Romney's first foreign trip as a Presidential candidate versus then candidate Barak Obama who took a similar trip in 2008, because there is no comparison. A true comparison reveals Obama's unequivocal overall superiority to a candidate Romney. Media would rather pretend as if everything is a "toss up!"

Whether it was insulting Greeks relative to their preparedness relative to the Olympics; or whether it were the racists "culture" remarks made in Israel after already insulting Palestinians and Arabs throughout the region with claims "Jerusalem is the Capitol of Israel," Romney has rested his campaign upon a foundation of lies, racism and ignorance. Keep in mind, Romney's trip did serious damage in dividing those who were already pro-America.
Romney is obviously convinced, his path toward the ...White House must lead through the gutter of hate rather than the high road of truth and inclusion. It is therefore imperative for those who love justice to vote in this election.

People of faith must stop comparing President Obama to the Almighty and compare him to the ALTERNATIVE. So, let's not be fooled, this is not an election between President Obama and Jesus. This is an election between President Obama and Mitt Romney. Unlike Christ, one candidate is consistently and dangerously running a campaign against the poor/oppressed at home and abroad.

There is power in cultural collaboration. Romney's campaign is driven to divide poor Whites against Blacks and Westerners against Africans/Easterners. Plus, o people of faith, didn't you know "A house divided against itself cannot stand?" ROMNEY'S FOREIGN POLICY TRIP WAS EITHER A SHAMEFUL FAILURE OR A DELIBERATE PLOY WHICH RESETS THE STAGE "TO KILL, AND TO STEAL, AND TO DESTROY!"

[michaelamsterdam]

What's the difference between Romney babbling on about America and Great Britain sharing an "Anglo-Saxon heritage" that the present occupant of the White House just can't comprehend...

And Her Divaness, Sarah Palin saying at a Tea-Party rally that, "Obama is not like us..."?

(wink, wink...you betcha)

The really alarming thing about this offensive, racist remark is that Romney clearly didn't know that it was an offensive, racist remark when he made it...

As Sarah clearly did when she made hers...

[TimeToEvolve]

The whole CBS News site is full of stories of the plastic puppet RobMe making a fool of himself. I don''t know which is worse, this arrogant blowhard or the fools who support the moron.

[ronjula-2012]

boy this guy says things offensive,then renege on it.what a moron momon.and who invited him to come to england? photo op,and then speak lowly of where he is. boy what a front man, and this is the republican choice for a Nation's Leader. Move to Canada

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

Its really sad that to many that "Anglo-Saxon" heritage - will be all they need to know! : (

[parrot2-2009]

Romney is conducting fundraisers in Britain ??? Say it aint sooooo

[TimeToEvolve]

We the People need to take this nation back from the takers, the very rich. We have given them a free ride for far too long. They have systematically taken apart our public education system, manufacturing system and declared war on the middle class (since Reagan). They have purchased the media and taken advantage of the American people without offering much in return.

The Senate (at least half) knows that this trend will lead to revolution because the Top 1% have gone too far and do not know when to stop because they are actually crazed with wealth.

[TimeToEvolve]

RobMe is a complete moron whose brain has been pickled by too much rape and pillage of his fellow Americans and others around the world. I think his mess is beyond mere lying, he actually thinks that whatever he thinks is right. This is one scary nut job and I can't believe he could even sniff an elected office. Must be the money.

[endurorob_5]

Absolutely no surprise that the liberals lathced on to an anonymous quote. The only chance obama has is to try and destroy Romney's character because if the electoin is about facts then Obama has no chance.

[chowt]

Romney begging for a knighthood since he behaves like a Aristocrat.