I suppose I am following Mitt Romney's Bain mess like everyone else who frequents the Kos. What struck me is that regardless of when Mitt actually left Bain is almost irrelevant at this point. I believe he has committed a felony regardless of his departure date. If my assumptions are correct, then I'm wondering why the MSM hasn't made this simple case to the general public instead of saying it's a he said/she said issue. Follow me over Mitt's prison bar for my logic, and feel free to correct/flame me if my assumptions are incorrect.
The first thing to have on hand is a calender, either electronic or paper is fine, that has all of the dates available starting with February 11, 1999 and ending with December 31, 2002. This seems to be the range of dates that contain the actual date that Romney departed from Bain. The next step is to mark February 11, 1999 with a mitten, since at the time of this writing, that's the date that Romney says he departed Bain. Keep the calendar nearby because it will be needed for one additional exercise at the conclusion of the diary.
The first article I read was an article posted on Politico. It very plainly states that Mitt Romney certified on federal financial disclosure forms that he left active management of Bain in February of 1999. It also states that if that information is incorrect, then Mitt Romney is guilty of a federal felony. That seems very straight forward. So let's assume Mitt Romney is not a felon, and he actually did end his management of Bain on February 11, 1999. I know it's a giant leap of faith to take Mitt at his sworn word, but for now we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
The next artical I read was an article from The Boston Globe. It states that there are multiple SEC filings after February 1999 that list Mitt Romney as owner and CEO of Bain. I believe it is a felony to file fraudulent SEC documents, and, as the article states, it would open Bain up to lawsuits if it was determined that Romney is listed as CEO, someone invested in the company based on that information, and that information proved to be false. The Globe article also states that Romney filed financial disclosure forms in Massachusetts that he was paid as a Bain executive while he directed the Olympics. Finally, the article states that Romney testified before the state Ballot Law Commission that his separation from Bain in 1999 was a "leave of absence" and not a departure. This also seems very straight forward. The facts presented in the Globe article would indicate that if Mitt Romney did end his management of Bain on February 11, 1999, then he is guilty of SEC fraud, Massachusetts election fraud and perjury. I'm not completely up on my laws, but I believe some, if not all, of those are felonies.
So those seem to be the undisputed facts since they are all either documents or sworn statements that are difficult to refute. It's now time to go back to the calendars. This will be a very simple exercise. I would like to see a date on a calendar, marked at Mitt Romney's actual departure date from Bain, that would result in something other than Mitt Romney being a felon. I certainly have not found one yet.