Axelrod Reportedly Pushed “Weird” Attack On Romney, Despite Threatening Firings

No response to claim in Thrush book.

Image by Steven Senne / AP

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod is fingered as an “exponent” of the “weird” attack on Mitt Romney in a new ebook by POLITICO’s Glenn Thrush — in apparent violation of his own pledge to fire any aides who used the term to describe Romney.

“[Axelrod] was an exponent of the “weird” attack, a catchall dis that many Republicans saw as a veiled reference to Romney’s Mormon faith,” Thrush reported in the book, “Obama’s Last Stand.”

But in response to a report last year that Obama aides were contemplating using the word to describe Romney, Axelrod condemn the aides, telling MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough he would go so far as to fire them if they were identified.

“I would if someone used words like weird I would certainly do that, yes,” Axelrod said. “I thought that was totally inappropriate.”

“No one on my team believes that, and anyone who purports to be a source within the Obama camp who used that term…should be ripped out of whoever’s rolodex who considers them sources, because that doesn’t reflect our thinking,” he added.

Axelrod did not respond to a request for comment.