Gibbs on Priorities USA ad: I don't know "specifics" about ad's claim

Robert Gibbs.

(CBS News) Amid GOP outrage over a pro-Obama super PAC ad suggesting Mitt Romney was indirectly to blame for a woman's death, Robert Gibbs, a senior aide to the president's re-election campaign, is declining to criticize the ad, arguing that he does not know "the specifics" of the situation described in the video.

"This is an ad by an entity not controlled by the campaign. I certainly don't know the specifics of this man's case," said Gibbs, in a lengthy back-and-forth on MSNBC on the topic. "I do think there is a lot of concern in the country about what happens when people lose their jobs, we know that when they lose their jobs, because most of where people get their health care provided for is in their jobs, they tend to also lose their health care."

The ad, released Tuesday morning, featured Joe Soptic, a former employee of GST Steel in Kansas City, talking about his experience after the steel plant was shut down under Bain's leadership. Soptic cites "Mitt Romney and Bain" as closing the plant, but the Romney campaign says the candidate had by that time stepped away from his leadership position at the company.

"When Mitt Romney and Bain closed the plant, I lost my healthcare, and my family lost their healthcare. And a short time after that my wife became ill," Soptic said in the ad, which was produced by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action.

"I don't know how long she was sick and I think maybe she didn't say anything because she knew that we couldn't afford the insurance, and then one day she became ill and I took her up to the Jackson County Hospital and admitted her for pneumonia and that's when they found the cancer and by then it was stage four," he continued. "And she passed away in 22 days."

The Romney campaign decried the ad as "dishonest" and "deplorable," and reporters noted reports pointing out that Soptic's wife died in 2006 - five years after the steel plant closed. CNN also reported that Soptic's wife had health insurance through her employer for at least some of that time.

FEC regulations dictate that super PACs may not directly coordinate with the campaign of the candidate it supports, and Gibbs suggested that it was because of those regulations that he was unaware of the details surrounding Soptic's case.

But the Priorities video was not Soptic's first public effort on Mr. Obama's behalf: In May, he appeared in an official Obama campaign video attacking Bain, and he also spoke on a conference call surrounding that ad, which was deemed "mostly true" by the fact-checking website PolitiFact.

Despite repeated questioning on MSNBC, however, Gibbs declined to take a definitive stance on the ad.

"The message is a little over the top. Can't you admit that?" asked one of the hosts, Joe Scarborough.

"Again, I don't know the specifics of this person's case," Gibbs said. "I know there's huge anxiety in this country about losing health care."

"What specifics would you like to know before you could pass judgment on whether that's appropriate?" asked Time magazine's Mark Halperin, a frequent commentator on MSNBC.

"I don't know the instances of what her health care covered, I don't know whether her insurance company approved every treatment. I don't, again, I don't know any of the dealings with the insurance company," Gibbs responded.

He did not say if the campaign would condemn the ads if they were proved inaccurate out they were inaccurate.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and Obama campaign spokesperson Stephanie Cutter both declined to comment on the veracity of the ad.

"You do know that we don't have anything to do with Priorities USA," Cutter said on CNN. "By law, we're not allowed to coordinate with them, and by law, we don't have anything to do with their ads. I don't know the facts of when Joe Soptic's wife got sick or when she died. But as I said before, I do know the facts of what Mitt Romney did with GS Steel. I do know the facts of how Joe Soptic lost his job, lost his health care. The entire company went bankrupt. But Mitt Romney walked away with a pretty hefty profit."

Added Carney: "I have not seen the ad, and I would refer you to the campaign or to the organization. I can't comment on that when I haven't seen it."

The Republican National Committee (RNC) blasted the Gibbs and the Obama camp on Wednesday for "dodging questions" on the issue.

"For 9 minutes, Obama Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs refused to condemn an ad from the Obama-sanctioned Super PAC that has been called outrageous, false and inaccurate," read an RNC email blast. "Gibbs joins a litany of Obama staffers including Jay Carney, Jen Psaki and Stephanie Cutter who have refused to condemn the ad as they spend a majority of their interviews dodging questions."

Bill Burton, co-founder of the Priorities USA Action PAC, said the ad's intent was not to blame Bain and Romney for the death of Soptic's wife, but rather to demonstrate the lasting effects of his work at Bain.

"There are many factors to consider here, but the one thing we know is that when Mitt Romney came to town, made that investment and forced that company out of business, hundreds of workers lost their jobs, their health care and their pensions. The impact is felt still today in that community," he said.

Romney Press Secretary Andrea Saul said that if the couple had lived in Massachusetts, they would have been covered by the health care law Romney signed as governor. (She made no mention that Romney, as a presidential candidate this year, is distancing himself from the same law, which served as a basis for the one adopted nationally by Obama and Congress in 2010.)

"Under Governor Romney's health care plan, they would have had health care," Saul said on Fox News. "There are a lot of people losing their jobs and losing their health care in President Obama's economy."

Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report.

[euge005]

Mittim's spokes person said, "Under Governor Romney's health care plan, they would have had health care," Saul said on Fox News. "There are a lot of people losing their jobs and losing their health care in President Obama's economy."

The far right is going to crucify her for telling the truth about Rommneycare even if she trys to pretend Obama has not been a god send to the economy and country. A fring right wing pundit said Wednesday that this might be the moment Obama won the election. The GOP has to hide from the truth and she broke the rule.

[nygurl1]

Since many people have already signed on to "Obamacare", and have told us online that they are happy with it I guess they lied again.

[hhandyman]

Where is the Morley Safer Report on Romney he knows how to look deep into paper work and ferret out truth Its CBS Original reporting that needs to go deep and see what is truth and expose it regardless who it helps or harms that this nation does not get a man in the office that honestly does not deserve the title. Morley needs to expose any and all improper dealings of Both major parties so that we are not just getting the lesser of two evils but the more Honest of the folk that are running for the office as well as the Vice Presidents of both too much chance we end up with a Kennedy style second term with all the people that are less friendly on race relations too many folk with the same ideals as the temple assassin out west that have the KKK type ideals I've heard idol chat that has hinted to that kind of goal and honestly i think wed be better with no change at the White House till 2016 and a change in Congress to get out the dead wood that cant compromise and work together.

[alanrobisch]

I figured liberals aka progressives are defending this despicable dishonest ad. Truth cannot penetrate their heads they are so tied to Barack Obama. I have yet to see here the fact that stephanie cutter who claimed to know nothing about mr Soptics story is on tape in May of this year thanking the same man for teling the same story. Stephanie Cutter is the assistant campaign director and was so when a similar ad was put out by Obama. Its amazing the amnesia these people have. Sure they are lieing through their teeth with the apporoval of that honest man Barrack Obama not making a peep

[alfredgrech]

This Obama anti Romney ad is so convoluted its almost funny and would make a good parody skit on SNL. Might as well have a Romney ad claiming that Obama is responsible for Mrs. Soptic death by cancer because when the plant was closed Obama did not step in and buy it from whoever was closing it down,(not Romney as it turns out). LOL .

[magicbymark]

"He did not say if the campaign would condemn the ads if they were proved inaccurate out they were inaccurate."

Say what?

[whammersley]

Don't kid yourself Robert Gibbs knows all about this scandalous ad. In fact he probably instigated it.

[euge005]

wait until they are actually proven inaccurate first, then denounce them. Meanwhile the lunatic fringe is still pushing trickle down economice which was debunked globally 30 years ago.

[wfw3536]

Gibbs is as bad as Harry Reid, he will do or say anything even if it isn't true to get Obama re-elected. The ad claiming Romney was responsible for a women death is about as low as a campaign can go, but somehow the Obama campaign found that new low.

[retmw1]

And what about the rove pac's they lie and blame for things that were never Obama or the democrats fault along with mitt.

[RCRawlings]

Let this whacked out group use it in an ad and see how the America people respond to this sort of ugly campaign tactic and stretch of the truth.
Pretty revolting tactics from the Dems & left that will back fire in the end.

I can just see the new Romney ad telling about the hundreds murdered in Mexico and the Border Agent with the Fast and Furious gun sales to the Mexican drug cartels by Obama and Eric Holder that "ARE" the direct result of these illegal and criminal gun sales.
Unlike Obama's stretch to link Romney to the death of one woman.

[infoworker]

Great addition to the discussion provided by Andrea Saul at the end of the article. Her argument is essentially that had the affordable care act been in place when Bain closed GST Steel, then the bad things that happened to person in the ad could have been avoided.

Probably didn't clear that statement with the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, or the tea party I'm guessing.

[audemus]

In politics as in life, ofttimes perception is more important than reality. Once a thought is planted in our mind, whether true or not, you cannot undo the initial impact.

[RCRawlings]

Let this whacked out group use it in an ad and see how the America people respond to this sort of ugly campaign tactic and stretch of the truth.
Pretty revolting tactics from the Dems & left that will back fire in the end.