The ties between Governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and the National Organization for Marriage, a leading anti-gay group, are growing deeper by the day. In addition to Romney’s “Free and Strong America” PAC giving a $10,000 contribution to NOM for Proposition 8, HRC has learned that two of NOM’s Directors, Craig D. Cardon and Broc Hiatt, have each donated $2,500 to Romney for President, Inc., this cycle (on 6/20/11 and 5/17/11, respectively).
“The more we learn about Romney’s close ties to NOM, the more anti-gay he looks – and is,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “You can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps, and who his maxed out donors are.”
Both Cardon and Hiatt are executives at The Vineyard Group, which gave $160,000 to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign. Both are longtime supporters of Governor Romney, each giving the maximum $2,300 donation during his 2008 presidential bid, broken down as follows.
· 1/8/07: Broc Hiatt Contributed $4,200 to Romney For President.
· 2/12/07: Broc Hiatt Was Refunded $2,100 from Romney For President.
· 3/27/07: Broc Hiatt Contributed $200 to Romney For President.
· 1/8/07: Craig D. Cardon Contributed $4,200 to Romney For President.
· 3/5/07: $2,100 Was Refunded To Craig Cardon By Romney For President.
[Source: Federal Election Commission]
Hiatt and Cardon are listed on NOM’s 2009 and 2010 tax returns as “Directors” for NOM.
Romney himself has signed NOM’s virulently anti-gay “marriage pledge” in which Romney promises, if elected, to set up a presidential commission to “investigate” gay Americans for alleged harassment and intimidation.
Two weeks ago, HRC unearthed secret NOM memos outlining a strategy to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks.”
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