WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama campaign says "Mitt Romney's allies" are recirculating a five-year-old speech by then Sen. Barack Obama to try to distract attention from Romney's comments about 47 percent of Americans not paying federal income taxes.
The speech was made in 2007 and is being labeled as racially charged by former GOP candidate Newt Gingrich, pundit Tucker Carlson and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Fox News aired segments of the videotaped speech.
Obama, than a candidate for president, was speaking to a black clergy group meeting in Virginia at Hampton University. The speech was widely covered by news organizations, including Fox News.
The Romney campaign hasn't responded to requests for a comment. Romney has previously distanced himself from a conservative group considering an ad campaign featuring Obama's former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. His race-related sermons stirred controversy in Obama's first campaign.
