The following is a report by Phil Stilton of Jacksononline. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is on the campaign trail — and part of his campaign team’s strategy is to garner the support of the Jewish community both at home and abroad. Another part of Romney’s campaign strategy appears to be keeping those fundraisers in the Orthodox Jewish community hidden from the public.
On July 28th, while in Israel, Romney’s camp, according to the Associated Press pool story, attempted to bar reporters from attending a fundraiser that raised $10,000,000 in Israel that Monday morning.
No reason was given by the campaign for the change in policy for that fundraiser, other than an aide told reporters that the event was “closed press”.
The AP report went on, “Reporters have been allowed to attend and report on Mitt Romney’s fundraisers since May, when the campaign lifted its restrictions on access and said fundraisers held in public venues such as hotels would be open to a small group of press. They have never allowed cameras inside to document the events.”
Later, Romney’s campaign back tracked that decision after receiving complaints from the media pool. The campaign, according to the AP, allowed one reporter into the fundraiser to cover the event. No photos were allowed, which has been the norm for the presidential candidate under scrutiny from his opponents about his transparency.
Fast forward slightly over one week later, where on August 8th, Romney visited Lakewood, New Jersey, home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in America. It was here that Romney pulled in another $1.5 million for his campaign in a community that hosts one of the world’s largest Yeshivas.
Once again, the media was barred from the event, another departure from standard protocol of allowing the press pool into campaign events in public facilities. Since May the press has been barred from two Romney fundraisers. Both times, they were with the Orthodox Jewish community.
To assist in Romney’s shroud of secrecy in Lakewood, the management of Lake Terrace, the hall in which the event was held, ordered Lakewood Police to remove all media from the premises, a claim Romney campaign manager Rick Gorka claims did not come from the campaign. Lakewood Township police officers swept through the parking lot asking anyone with a camera if they were associated with the media. Anyone who answered ‘yes’ was escorted from the property to a location nearly a football field’s length away from the facility’s property. At one point, a police officer ordered an Asbury Park Press film crew even further away.
Romney’s campaign manager, New Jersey resident Rick Gorka it wasn’t them. ”What the facility did has nothing to do with us,” Gorka said in a phone interview Saturday morning, shortly after the campaign announced Paul Ryan as Romney’s running mate.
It wasn’t just local news media who got the boot at that event. According toYahoo! News reporter Holly Bailey, the pool was not permitted inside the fundraiser either. In her report, she claimed, “Your pool is now holding in a room ahead of Romney’s remarks at the private fundraiser, set to begin in about one hour. Per spokesman Rick Gorka, Romney is going to pose for photos with the wedding party, but the campaign will not allow the pool to witness this event.”
Gorka says Bailey’s report is incorrect. Gorka would not respond to our questions regarding the exclusion of local media at the event, saying just that it was for pool only, claiming AP pool reporter Holly Bailey’s report was inaccurate. “Holly Bailey was inside and in attendance. I’m not going to rehash this,” Gorka said. ”I have a busy day. It was open to the press pool.”
Read more from Phil Stilton on Jacksononline.
Click here to view photos of the event in Lakewood.
why was this so secret? this guy has to much to hide. not someone i would vote for.
Today’s generation of true and fair journalist hardly exist. The press trying to sensalize a story did not background checks and ran with a huffington press story: 1, lake terrace regularly books two jobs a day, morning and evening.2 the wedding that took place later in the day was not affected in any way starting earlier than the call time: 3 the mother of the bride told a yahoo reporter how glad she was that the governor shared in their simcha. 4. Everyone who was invited to the event could have told you there was a press tables set up in the back of the hall with 7-10 reporters in a roped off area. So this non story of another reporter trying to focus negatively on the orthodox community. As well most of the money raised did not even come from Lakewood , rather from hundreds of corporations from accross New Jersey who participated. As a attendee I can say that 75% of the crowd was not even Jewish so go figure!!!!!
Oooooo! Secret! Sounds so exciting; conspiratorial even! Who knows what diabolical plots being hatched behind closed doors? Oh, wait! Maybe the media can’t be trusted not to smear the easy-target orthodox whenever the op arises? Hmmm.
Oh really??? What is all of hidden stuff that you know about and no one else seems to?? Unlike mr transparency who is currently in the white house- right?
This smells like a Democratic smear campaign against Romney. Put suspicion, doubt and innuendo into anything that Romney does to try to make him look bad. We need to watch the mainstream media, they slant the news to make Obama look good and Romney look bad.
The press access to this fundraiser does not change my mind voting for him or not.
Visiting Lakewood could be an opportunity to change that. After the fundraiser, visit the homeless camp. After all there are American citizens living there who have just as much a right to vote as anyone else. Let him tell them what as their president he can do to lift them out of poverty and despair. Let him walk Holly Street and show us know his approach on crime. Let him show up at a school and discuss education.
He could have knock on doors in Lakewood, but he just fly off after the money is collected.
And to think I went to shoprite, bought some pound cake just in case he knocked on my front door .
#1 the world is not a conspiracy!
I believe the Hall did this to protect the privacy of the Bride & Groom on their special day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the clearly biased “reporter” Holly Bailey still managed to get a few unauthorized shots of the private wedding affair.
And, NO, she did not ask permission prior to publishing the paparazzi photos.
It wasn’t a Jewish fundraising event. It was hosted by Bathgate one of the largest law firm in nj.
I was standing outside Lake Terrace and I saw with my own eyes that the Lakewood Police did not let in this reporter – I was actually talking with him outside and he was very surprised at being denied entry. What seems so strange is there was at least 2 or 3 vans (not suv’s)of press as part of the motorcade and when the motorcade stopped and secret service agents jumped out of their suv’s to walk along with Romney these reporters also got out their vans and of course snapped pictures of us – if they were not allowed in why were these van loads even coming in to Lakewood at all?
There is alot of misinformation from the leftist media against Romney, and anything they can try to slant against Romney or Jews is fair game. Don’t buy any of it.
Romney’s pick of Ryan as VP was a great choice, and will electrify the base, which is great. Hopefully, Romney will be able to pull this off, and we’ll be able to prevent a Civil War in this country (which will be inevitable if Obama wins reelection.)
So that’s why ur anti Romney ! Your lucky u wern’t at an Obma event . Let me tell you they let press in but the send the Feds after you if they don’t like what you write.
go romney go!!!!! you have my vote!!!!
I believe this reporter actually gave the most balanced reporting so far on the event. In his article quoted here on the day of or day after the event he debunks all of the ridiculous reports from mainstream media including the aformentioned huffington post.
schools are closing and you give him your money
To #11 (Yid) – Did you seriously say “…we’ll be able to prevent a Civil War in this country (which will be inevitable if Obama wins reelection”. I think you are drinking too much of the cable news Kool-Ade. That is an ignorant scare tactic statement if I ever heard one. You are exactly what is wrong with people these days. If you don’t agree with our Presidents policies, fine. Disagree, its your right, but inciting fear in people that we are somehow going to be killing one another in the streets over an elected official in this country is childish, ignorant and downright dangerous. The man isn’t a dictator. What horrors has he committed? Did he declare wars on other countries? I mean its one thing to dislike someones policies, but please, spare me the drama and grow up.
and neither of my comments were posted because,….let me guess, I was right each time & the scoop wants to continue censoring in order to keep people uninformed! but….. you probably won’t bother posting this comment either!
To #17 – My comments do not get posted very often. And they’re not mean, just true. What year is this??? What country do we live it??? What are they so afraid of?
creating news out of nothing
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