Buzzfeed: Romney campaign spent $5000 at Walmart to stage their charity event [View all]

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/the-making-of-romneys-storm-relief-event

The Making Of Romney's Storm Relief Event

A scramble to depoliticize a political campaign, and $5,000 in supplies from Wal-Mart. “Just grab something.”

Meanwhile, on the ground in Dayton, aides were working feverishly to de-politicize the planned event. Campaign signs were removed from the premises, long rows of folding tables were set up, and logistics were painstakingly arranged to accomodate physical donations.

"It took the production company and event staff on site some time to ensure that it was converted into a space which was suitable for the needs of a relief effort," said one staffer who was there.

The plan was for supporters to bring hurricane relief supplies to the event, and then deliver the bags of canned goods, packages of diapers, and cases of water bottles to the candidate, who would be perched behind a table along with a slew of volunteers and his Ohio right-hand man, Senator Rob Portman. To complete the project and photo-op, Romney would lead his crew in carrying the goods out of the gymnasium and into the Penske rental truck parked outside.

But the last-minute nature of the call for donations left some in the campaign concerned that they would end up with an empty truck. So the night before the event, campaign aides went to a local Wal Mart and spent $5,000 on granola bars, canned food, and diapers to put on display while they waited for donations to come in, according to one staffer. (The campaign confirmed that it "did donate supplies to the relief effort," but would not specify how much it spent.)

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