Mitt Romney's Phantom Lobbyist Army

This morning, Mike posted the video of former Gov. Mitt Romney's meltdown when confronted by a reported from the Associated Press on the inconsistencies with Romney's rhetoric and his ties to lobbyists.

Romney says that he "doesn't have lobbyists running my campaign" and that he "doesn't have lobbyists at my elbows that are arguing for one industry or another industry and I do not have favors I have to repay to people who have been in Washington for years."

Mother Jones decided to look into it.

The truth is that Romney is tied closely with many lobbyists. The AP reporter Romney exchanged sharp words with later reported that several Romney aides and advisers are lobbyists. Additionally, as the Nation first reported, Romney has accepted more money from lobbyists and received more endorsements from lobbyists than any other Republican presidential candidate.

The lobbyists who have endorsed Romney have represented, in 2007 alone, nearly every part of the health care and financial services industries, the NRA, members of the tobacco industry, and gambling interests.

Read more from Mother Jones, including a partial list of the phantom army of lobbyists that Romney says he doesn't have.