Updated: 9:55 a.m. ET
Mitt Romney can’t catch a break from media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
The News Corporation chairman and chief executive continued his Twitter tirade against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee early Sunday:
“Met Romney last week. Tough O Chicago pros will be hard to beat unless he drops old friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful,” Murdoch tweeted. “US election is referendum on Obama, all else pretty minor,” he added.
Moments later, Murdoch responded to a question of how much money he has donated to the Romney campaign. “None!” Murdoch tweeted.
It’s Murdoch’s second jab at Romney in recent weeks. On June 24, Murdoch criticized Romney for “playing everything safe” and making no news except to “burn off Hispanics.” Murdoch confidants gave a window into the media executive’s thinking in interviews with BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith. “He and others in business world don’t think [Romney] can win,” one source said. “They also don’t think he is authentic.”
“He thinks Romney is as lame as everyone else,” another source told Smith.
Twitter is perhaps the one place Murdoch can speak without a filter, away from the carefully polished statements his press office sends out. On Sunday, Murdoch also weighed in on the “cult” of Scientology and the “boring” Sunday New York Times.
Regardless, Murdoch’s Fox News channel is happy to host Romney. The former Massachusetts governor has appeared on Fox and Friends 21 times in the past year, according to the Times. He has appeared on NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” four times each.
Romney campaign senior adviser Eric Fehnrstrom on MSNBC Monday brushed aside Murdoch’s tweets. “We like the way things are right now,” he said. “We’re happy with the state of the race.”
Responding to critics on Monday, Murdoch attempted to clear the air. “Of course” he wants Romney to win, and save the U.S. from “socialism, etc”:
Romney people upset at me!Of course I want him to win, save us from socialism, etc but should listen to good advice and get stuck in!
— Rupert Murdoch(@rupertmurdoch) July 2, 2012
News Corp. and Romney campaign spokespeople were not immediately available for comment on the circumstances of last week’s meeting.
David Taintor
David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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