Mitt Romney lied last week and told Ohioans that Chrysler was poised to move Jeep production to China. After being told the truth, Romney turned the lie into a television ad. After being told the truth again, he's now expanding the ad buy and launching a radio spot.
Maybe he's running for president of Chutzpah Town.
In any case, it appears Chrysler, which was rescued as part of President Obama's policy, is getting annoyed with Romney's false claims.
Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne rejected an assertion from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that Chrysler is planning on moving Jeep production to China.
"I feel obliged to unambiguously restate our position: Jeep production will not be moved from the United States to China," Marchionne said in an email to employees Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by The Detroit News.
In fact, he said the company will continue to expand Jeep manufacturing in this country.
"Jeep is one of our truly global brands with uniquely American roots. This will never change. So much so that we committed that the iconic Wrangler nameplate, currently produced in our Toledo, Ohio, plant, will never see full production outside the United States," Marchionne said. "Jeep assembly lines will remain in operation in the United States and will constitute the backbone of the brand. It is inaccurate to suggest anything different."
Marchionne's efforts were apparently necessary because panicked auto workers heard Romney's falsehoods and feared for their jobs.
Incidentally, if Marchionne's name sounds familiar, last year, the Chrysler chief was asked about Romney's position that the industry could have bounced back relying solely on private funds. "Whoever told you that is smoking illegal material," he responded. "That market had become absolutely dysfunctional in 2008 and 2009. There were attempts made by a variety of people to find strategic alliances with other car makers on a global scale and the government stepped in, as the actor of last resort. It had to do it because the consequences would have been just too large to deal with."
Romney was wrong. Now he's lying about it.