Romney Campaign Press Release - Santorum Misleads on Lobbying Record

Despite Recent Denials, Santorum Was Indeed A Lobbyist Back In Pennsylvania

Senator Santorum Has Vehemently Denied Ever Being A Lobbyist:

On CNN, Santorum Declared That He "Never Any Did Lobbying Or Even Anything Close To Lobbying." SANTORUM: "I was not a lobbyist. I absolutely was not a lobbyist. I never did any lobbying or even anything close to lobbying." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 2/24/12)

Click Here To Watch Senator Santorum Talk About Lobbying

But Senator Santorum Was A Lobbyist In Pennsylvania Before Running For Congress:

New York Times: In The Late 1980's, Santorum Was "A Lobbyist In Harrisburg." "By the late 1980s, as a lobbyist in Harrisburg, he was contemplating running for office. Friends urged him to start out small, but Mr. Santorum wanted to go to Washington." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Santorum Rose Quickly From Reformer To Insider," The New York Times, 1/19/12)

"Though He Doesn't Advertise It, [Santorum] Also Worked As A Lobbyist In Harrisburg..." "Santorum doesn't boast much of his legal career. At Kirkpatrick, Santorum told a radio talk show, he did 'business law — tax work and municipal bond work and sewer bonds' and not much trial work. Though he doesn't advertise it, he also worked as a lobbyist in Harrisburg, representing a mix of clients that included the World Wrestling Federation." (David L. Michelmore, "Santorum Has Built A Reputation On Impatience," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/11/94)

Santorum Was A Lobbyist For The World Wrestling Federation And Lobbied A Committee For Which He Had Previously Served As The Top Staffer. "Santorum was a registered lobbyist for the WWF in 1987, 1988 and 1989 when the Legislature agreed to deregulate the professional wrestling business in Pennsylvania. The deregulation, which removed wrestling of the Hulk Hogan variety from oversight by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission, moved through the Senate Local Government Committee, the same committee that Santorum had served as executive director four years earlier when Corman was its chairman." (David L. Michelmore, "Santorum Has Built A Reputation On Impatience," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/11/94)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Lobbyist Santorum Worked On "An Aggressive Lobbying Effort" And Helped Draft Legislation On The Regulation Of Professional Wrestling. "In one sense, the growth of the WWE, and McMahon's power, traces back to Pennsylvania, which became one of the first states to deregulate pro wrestling after an aggressive lobbying effort — begun in 1987 under the guidance of a young associate at the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart named Rick Santorum. ... Basically, the legislation that Santorum and the company helped draft decreed that professional wresting was not a sport and thus did not need to submit to the oversight of the state's athletic commission and its ring doctors." (Thomas Fitzgerald, "Conn. Senate Race A Real Body Slam — With Ties To Pa.," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/10)

• Santorum: "I Was At The Center Of That." (Thomas Fitzgerald, "Conn. Senate Race A Real Body Slam — With Ties To Pa.," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/10)

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Santorum Would Treat The Governor's Staffers "To A Night At The Fights, With Plenty Of Food, Booze, And Soft Drinks." "Whenever there was a wrestling show near Harrisburg, Santorum said, he'd treat leading lawmakers and members of then-Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr.'s staff to a night at the fights, with plenty of food, booze, and soft drinks. They'd troop backstage and see that all the action was scripted, no sport involved, Santorum said." (Thomas Fitzgerald, "Conn. Senate Race A Real Body Slam — With Ties To Pa.," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/10)

Santorum Was Also A Lobbyist For His Local PBS Affiliates And For A Chemical Company. "Santorum also was registered as a lobbyist for Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public Broadcasting and QED Communications Inc., which operates Pittsburgh public broadcasting stations, WQED and WQEX, and for Koppers Inc." (David L. Michelmore, "Santorum Has Built A Reputation On Impatience," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/11/94)