Romney Uses Questionable Methods to Attack Kennedy

BOSTON--Score one point under the "dirty tricks" column for U.S. Senate candidate W. Mitt Romney.

In a debate meant to bring issues--not half-truths and attacks--to the forefront of this race, Romney chose to use the televised forum to characterize Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.) as a hypocrite.

Yet Romney's characterization may be inaccurate, and his method of gathering facts questionable.

Early in the debate, Romney, a venture capitalist from Belmont, charged that Mart Properties, a firm owned by the Kennedy family that operates the Chicago Merchandise and Apparel Marts, does not offer part-time employees health care insurance.

"That attack on part-time workers not having health care is the ultimate hypocrisy," Romney said. "Senator, I'm sure you know your [part-time] employees don't have health insurance there."

Throughout the campaign, it has been Kennedy who has emphasized that Romney has bankrolled some firms that do not provide health coverage to part-time employees.

Immediately after the debate, Charles Manning, Romney's political consultant, said the Republican candidate won the debate in large part due to this attack on Kennedy.

Although Romney asked Kennedy during the debate, "When will this [personal attacking] end?", Manning said Romney was right to attack his opponent, in turn.

"The Senator has gone after Mitt's business career," said Manning. "We think it shows Senator Kennedy has been a hypocrite in his advertising and in what he's said against Mitt."

After the debate Romney produced an affidavit from Kristina Lapham Escamilla, a Wilmette, III., resident, saying that the company does not provide health insurance coverage to part-time employees.

In the sworn statement, dated Monday, October 24--only one day before the debate--Escamilla says an employee in the personnel department at Mart Properties told her last Friday that the company hires some part-time workers but does not provide health insurance for them.

At the time, Escamilla told the company's personnel office that she was "interested in seeking part-time employment at the management company," according to the affidavit.

But in an interview last night, Escamilla said she was never really interested in employment and called Mart simply as a favor to Romney, a friend from her days at Harvard Business School.

"I was asked to by the Romney campaign," she said. "I didn't send a resume. I wasn't planning to. It was merely investigative."

Romney campaign spokesperson Eric Gedstad said he has "no idea" whether the campaign contacted Escamilla and referred further questions to Manning.

Manning did not return repeated telephone calls last night.

Despite Romney's charges, Joseph Hakim, president of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Mart's parent company, said all employees--full-time and part-time--at the Merchandise Mart have health insurance.

"The approximately 400 full-time employees receive health insurance through the Merchandise Mart," Hakim said in a statement released after the debate. "The seven part-time employees who work at the Merchandise Mart as a second job are covered by their full-time employers, though their family, or through Medicare."

In an interview last night, Hakim said Romney's charges are only speculative because his company hires very few part-time workers.

"It's not a goal of the company to hire part-time employees," he said. "We've been careful to hire part-time employees who have [insurance]."

But Escamilla said this sentiment was not conveyed in her conversation with Muriel Foster, a personnel officer at Mart Properties. "She said most of the employees were full time, but we do have part time jobs," Escamilla said. "She told me I could send my resume."

And Hakim said Sen. Kennedy has no direct involvement in his company. "The Kennedy family doesn't have a say," he said. "They are not at all involved in daily operations."

After the debate, Kennedy campaign spokesperson Rick Gureghian called Romney's accusations "the cheap talking Romney is known for."

"All he can do is get up there and get angry," Gureghian said.