Romney’s Private Meeting with Rick Santorum
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PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Joe Raedle/Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) — It was shrouded in secrecy, but some immediate details are coming out from the meeting held Friday morning between presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney and his former rival Rick Santorum.
They met alone, face to face and without staffers during the 90 minute meeting at an office overlooking the city of Pittsburgh and belonging to one of Santorum’s oldest advisers, John Brabender.
“I know there wasn’t a list or talking points,” Brabender said, referring to the agenda of the private meeting. “It was meant to be a casual conversation. It seemed friendly.”
Brabender joked there was “was no screaming, kicking or fighting,” and more seriously noted an endorsement was never expected out of the meeting.
“There was always an expectation it was would take a little bit of time,” Brabender said, referring to the tete a tete. “It was shorter than any of the debates. There was a lot they both wanted to talk about and they both value each other’s opinion. It was a reasonable amount of time.”
The meeting ended just before noon, allowing Romney to make his 12:15 event in O’Hara, a suburb right outside of Pittsburgh.
The two did not appear together in O’Hara and Santorum has not endorsed Romney. Romney said Friday on Fox News that he didn’t expect an endorsement Friday, but again stressed that “all Republicans will come together in the final analysis and support my candidacy.”
On MSNBC, earlier Friday former Santorum press secretary Alice Stewart was asked about the two uniting in a more formal way. She said the informal meeting “is a great start.”
“The two have a great respect for each other,” Stewart said.
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