Der Mittenfuhrer has ties to scandalous WWASPS program

[Ian David]

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Romney Rat Of The Day

The Hill reports today on a little secret I've been tracking down among Mitt Romney's fundraising minions: Robert Lichfield, a co-chair of Romney's Utah finance team, is at the center of a scandal involving the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). WWASPS operates or funds a bunch of "tough love" academies that have been accused of all manner of nastiness -- a Google search will get you to the anti-WWASPS sites.

Lichfield is a key player and is named in the lawsuits, but The Hill doesn't mention that he's far from the only Romney maximum-contributor linked to the WWASPS scandal. There's J. Ralph Atkin, partner with WWASPS' Teen Help; Richard Darrington of Darrington Academy; Brent Facer, Lichfield's partner and WWASPS trustee; L. Karr Farnsworth of Cross Creek Manor and former WWASPS President; Jason Finlinson of Academy at Ivy Ridge; Dace Goulding of Orion Behavioral and Darrington Academy; Robert's brother Narvin Lichfield of Carolina Springs Academy; and Robert's brother-in-law Don Peart of Majestic Ranch.

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