The Obama campaign immediately responded to a story in The Washington Post this morning detailing Obama senior adviser David Plouffe's speaking fees from a company with ties to Iran, saying they are happy to compare their record to Romney's.
Romney was personally invested in Turkcell, a competitor of MTN with similar ties to Iran.
"Mitt Romney is the same candidate who failed to keep his promise to get rid of any investments in companies that do business with Iran - his trust remained invested in these companies for years after his pledge to divest," said Obama campaign press secretary Ben LaBotl. "Mitt Romney had a financial interest in Turkcell which is attempting to advance its business interest in Iran. We’re happy to have a debate over what clients Mitt Romney’s advisors have chosen to advise – from human rights abusers to Chinese oil companies – but what is more significant is Romney’s own failure to keep his word when it came to Iran divestment."
But a challenge for the Obama campaign is that Plouffe also had ties to Turkcell, listing a $48,000 speaking fee from the Turkish company in 2010.
