CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield Tears Into Obama Campaign Spokesperson Over Bain Ad

Mediaite.com:

Obama For America Campaign National Press Sec. Ben LaBolt squared off with CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield on Tuesday in a contentious interview. Banfield took LaBolt to task over several assertions made in the most recent ad that focuses on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain and a factory which had its assets sold off and its workers laid off in the early 2000s. What follows was a heated session in which Banfield seemed troubled that she could not get LaBolt to admit the Obama campaign stretched the facts in this latest ad.

The interview turned contentious almost immediately, as Banfield took LaBolt on over the ads numerous assertions that were determined to be less-than-factual. 

“Mitt Romney has asked us to judge his tenure as a corporate buyout specialist – he’s listed that as his lead qualification for the presidency,” said LaBolt. “We’re not questioning the private equity industry as a whole, we’re questioning Mitt Romney’s economic philosophy. Is that the type of economic philosophy you’d like to see in the Oval Office where Mitt Romney and the wealthiest few profit at the expense of the middle class.” 

Banfield cited the Washington Post’s fact checker which gave the ad one out of four “Pinocchio.” She said that the paper was considering giving the Obama team’s ad “two pinnochios.”

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