Wayne Barrett: Romney Handed Out Olympic Contracts, Violated His Own Ethics Rules

Wayne Barrett: Romney Handed Out Olympic Contracts, Violated His Own Ethics Rules

Wayne Barrett: Romney Handed Out Olympic Contracts, Violated His Own Ethics Rules

How Mitt used his business relationships during the Salt Lake City Summer Olympics in 2002 may offer an insight into a Romney presidency.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Not quieted in the slightest by his flurry of gaffes in London, the Romney campaign continues to tout Mitt’s management record at the Salt Lake City Summer Olympics in 2002. What is left out of the clamor on both sides, however, is how good the presumed GOP candidate was to his friends in the early aughts.

Nation Institute Fellow Wayne Barrett spoke with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Tuesday morning about how Romney handed out key Olympic contracts to close friends—among them Kem Gardner, who got a $4.7 million tax break for plaza construction—without ever disclosing the nature of the relationships, in direct violation of his own anti-corruption rules.

—Zoë Schlanger

Time is running out to have your gift matched 

In this time of unrelenting, often unprecedented cruelty and lawlessness, I’m grateful for Nation readers like you. 

So many of you have taken to the streets, organized in your neighborhood and with your union, and showed up at the ballot box to vote for progressive candidates. You’re proving that it is possible—to paraphrase the legendary Patti Smith—to redeem the work of the fools running our government.

And as we head into 2026, I promise that The Nation will fight like never before for justice, humanity, and dignity in these United States. 

At a time when most news organizations are either cutting budgets or cozying up to Trump by bringing in right-wing propagandists, The Nation’s writers, editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, and illustrators confront head-on the administration’s deadly abuses of power, blatant corruption, and deconstruction of both government and civil society. 

We couldn’t do this crucial work without you.

Through the end of the year, a generous donor is matching all donations to The Nation’s independent journalism up to $75,000. But the end of the year is now only days away. 

Time is running out to have your gift doubled. Don’t wait—donate now to ensure that our newsroom has the full $150,000 to start the new year. 

Another world really is possible. Together, we can and will win it!

Love and Solidarity,

John Nichols 

Executive Editor, The Nation

Ad Policy
x