The case of the missing Mitt Romney attack video is getting curiouser and curiouser.
On Wednesday afternoon, Romney’s campaign fired off a scorching attack on Rick Perry in the form of a web video tearing into Perry’s sometimes stumbling debate performances. The video launched as part CareerPolitician.com, a Romney website slamming Perry for being a serial office-holder (rather than a serial office-seeker.)
By Wednesday night, the YouTube clip had disappeared from YouTube, marked “removed by user.” By Thursday morning, the CareerPolitician.com website had been redesigned, scrubbed of all mention of the brutal attack ad.
Here’s what CareerPolitician.com looked like Wednesday afternoon when the Romney campaign sent out a press release notifying reporters of the site and the video:
It was a one-page site, very simplistic in design. Here’s the new version, sent out to reporters this morning with a quote from Romney Communications Director Gail Gitcho:
The new version of the site is much more robust, featuring numerous videos and oft-heard Romney attacks on Perry’s governing, jobs and immigration records.
Update
The Romney campaign tells TPM the video was removed from YouTube at the request of CNN.
Update 10:36 AM ET: CNN confirmed to TPM that they asked that the ad be taken down. Romney’s campaign has told TPM they stand by the message of the video, though they are complying with the network’s request to take it down.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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