Romney Campaign Press Release - Day Ten: Obama Officially Out of Excuses on Super Pac Ad

"President Obama and his advisers are officially out of excuses for why they haven't condemned the Obama Super PAC's ad. From claims of ignorance to pretending no money went into promoting the ad, every excuse from the President's advisers has fallen flat. It's time for President Obama to say, once and for all, whether he stands behind this despicable ad." — Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman

Today, The Obama White House Tried Another Excuse To Justify Why President Obama Hasn't Condemned His Super PAC's Disgraceful Ad:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, On The Obama Super PAC Ad: "A Third-Party Ad That Essentially Had No Money Behind It..." CARNEY: "A third-party ad that essentially had no money behind it, never appeared except accidentally on one station once versus a focus on the issues that's backed up by the President's campaign in all the efforts that it's engaged in." (White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, Press Briefing, 8/16/12)

But President Obama's Official Super PAC Has Aired The Ad On Television And Paid For Significant Online Advertising:

More Than 40% Of The Super PAC's Online Views Come From Paid Web Ads. "But the ad, which mistakenly aired on Ohio TV early this week, has over 819,000 YouTube views, with more than 40% coming from paid web ads, according to YouTube's analytics feature." (Zeke Miller, "SuperPAC Spent Online To Boost Controversial Ad," Buzz Feed, 8/16/12)

• "This Runs Contrary To The Obama Campaign's And The White House's Spin That The Ad Is A Distraction From The Issues..." (Zeke Miller, "SuperPAC Spent Online To Boost Controversial Ad," Buzz Feed, 8/16/12)

The Obama Super PAC Ad Shipped And Aired Its Disgraceful Attack Ad On Ohio Television. "The controversial Obama super PAC ad accusing Mitt Romney of contributing to the death of a woman whose husband lost health insurance is hitting TV for the first time." (Zeke Miller, "Obama Super PAC Ad Accusing Romney Of Contributing To Woman's Death Now On TV," BuzzFeed, 8/14/12)

The Super PAC Blamed The Airing On A "Station Error." "A pro-Obama super-PAC blamed 'station error' after a controversial ad tying Mitt Romney to a woman's death from cancer aired Wednesday in the key swing state of Ohio." (Meghashyam Mali, "Obama Super-PAC Blames 'Station Error' After Cancer Ad Airs," The Hill, 8/15/12)

It's Just The Latest Excuse From Obama Advisers — They're More Concerned With Making Excuses Than Condemning The Ad:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: "Well, I'll Simply Say That I Haven't Seen The Ad." CARNEY: "Well, I'll simply say that I haven't seen the ad but I have read about it.  And I speak for the President. I do not speak for a third-party organization. This was in the context yesterday of a discussion about the categorically false and blatantly dishonest advertisement from the Romney campaign -- not a third-party group -- from the Romney campaign with regards to the President's policy on welfare reform." (White House Press Gaggle, 8/8/12)

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, On The Obama Super PAC Ad: "I Have No Idea The Political Affiliation Of Folks Who Are Associated With That Super PAC." ROBERTS: "Should the Democrats be releasing an ad that accuses a presidential candidate, through inference, of being responsible for a woman's death?" WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "First of all, that's a Priorities USA ad. That's not a Democratic ad; it's a Priorities USA Super PAC ad." ROBERTS: "Do you deny that they're Democrats?" WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "I have no idea the political affiliation of folks who are associated with that Super PAC." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/12)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: "We Do Not Control Third-Party Ads. ... I Do Not Have Any Role In Third-Party Groups..." "Deflecting continued questions about a controversial ad from a Democratic-aligned super PAC, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney insisted Friday that a candidates' campaign is powerless over third-party ads. ... As he and campaign spokespeople have in the past few days, Carney maintained that the Obama camp has no say over outside groups' ads. 'We do not control third-party ads,' Carney said, adding later, 'I do not have any role in third-party groups that produce these ads.'" (Ali Weinberg, "White House Press Secretary Changes Tune On Super PACs," NBC News, 8/10/12)

Obama Campaign Spokesperson Jen Psaki: "We Don't Have Any Knowledge Of The Story..." PSAKI: "We have nothing - no involvement with any ads that are done by Priorities USA. ... We don't have any knowledge of the story of the family. As you know, campaign finance rules in that regard are in place for a reason." (Adam Aigner-Treworgy, "White House, Obama Campaign Distance Themselves From Super PAC Ad," CNN's White House Blog, 8/8/12)

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter: "I Don't Know The Facts..." CNN'S JOHN BERMAN: "He's suggesting she died because of the action that Mitt Romney took. Mitt Romney of course had left Bain years before that Bain took over this company and then his wife died years after. What's going on? Is that accurate? Is that fair?" CUTTER: "Well John, here are the facts. I don't know the facts about when Mr. Soptic's wife got sick, or the facts about his health insurance, but here's what I do know. That Mitt Romney personally handled the deal to take over GS Steel and he personally handled some of the decisions made to load that company up with debt so much that it went underwater.  It went bankrupt." (CNN, 8/8/12)

Obama Campaign Senior Adviser David Axelrod: "It's Not Running, By The Way, The Ad Hasn't Been On The Air." STEPHANOPOULOS: "Does the President stand behind that ad? Does he agree with what was in that ad?" AXELROD: "I don't think anybody - anybody believes that Mr. Soptic's wife, that Governor Romney can be blamed for the death of Mr. Soptic's wife, and frankly, I don't think the ad says that either." STEPHANOPOULOS: "It suggests it, though doesn't it, David?" AXELROD: "But, you know, the irony of all this, the irony of all this, George, is that this ad is running at the very same time that Governor Romney's campaign is running an ad that he paid for - it's not running, by the way, the ad hasn't been on the air..." (ABC's "This Week," 8/12/12)