Romney Spokesman Spars with Reporters at Polish Holy Site
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(WARSAW, Poland) — Reporters traveling with Mitt Romney on his six-day foreign trip were reprimanded by a spokesman Tuesday for asking the candidate questions after several days passed without a press conference.
As Romney left the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland, and walked towards his motorcade parked in Pilsudski Square, reporters began shouting questions from behind a rope line where campaign staffers had told them to stay behind, prompting a Romney spokesman to tell a group of reporters, “kiss my a**” and “shove it.”
“Governor Romney, are you concerned about some of the mishaps of your trip,” one CNN reporter yelled as Romney wrapped up his visit to the historical site.
“Governor Romney do you have a statement for the Palestinians?” a New York Times reporter shouted.
“What about your gaffes?” yelled a Washington Post reporter, referring to a number of misspeaks the candidate has made during his trip, including one in which he said there were some things “disconcerting” leading up to the London Olympics, drawing ire from the British press, and another that suggested culture was to blame for the difference in economic success in Israel and Palestinian regions. The Romney campaign has called the reports on the candidate’s remarks about Palestine as a “gross mischaracterization.”
Traveling press secretary Rick Gorka told reporters answering questions to “show some respect.”
“We haven’t had another chance to ask a question,” one reporter noted to Gorka.
Romney last took questions, though just three of them, from the traveling press corps on Thursday in London. Romney also did not address the press flying with him on any of the three charter flights, two of which lasted over four hours. Romney has conducted several television interviews during the trip.
“Kiss my a**. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect,” said Gorka.
Another journalist was told by Gorka to “shove it.”
Gorka later called both reporters to apologize for his remarks, telling one that he was “inappropriate.”
ABC News reached out to Gorka for an additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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