Controversy is growing over a report on Tuesday from the United Kingdom's Daily Telegraph about a Mitt Romney campaign adviser's comments that the Republican presidential candidate's commitment to rebuilding the so-called special relationship between England and the United States had to do with a sense of "Anglo-Saxon heritage" that the White House didn't fully appreciate. CBS News reports:
"We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special," the adviser said of Romney, according to the Telegraph: "The White House didn't fully appreciate the shared history we have."
Andrea Saul, Romney's press secretary, disputed the comments and emphasized that they did not reflect the beliefs of the former Massachusetts governor.
"It's not true. If anyone said that, they weren't reflecting the views of Governor Romney or anyone inside the campaign," she told CBSNews.com in an email. Saul did not comment on what specifically was not true.
Despite questions about the identity of the source, liberal commentators seized on the quote for its racial subtext: That Mr. Obama cannot understand the depth of the relationship between the two countries because his father is from Kenya.
In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden charged the Romney campaign with using the trip abroad to "score political points."
Read more at CBS News and the Telegraph.