As he appeared on the Friday, January 13, The O'Reilly Factor, FNC's Geraldo Rivera complained that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney never mentions that his father, George Romney, was born in Mexico while campaigning as the "most virulent anti-illegal immigration person" and ended up calling the former Massachusetts governor a "hypocrite."
After Rivera recounted the story of Mitt Romney's great grandfather leaving Utah for Mexico to avoid the state's anti-polygamy laws, with his grandson and Mitt's father, George, eventually returning to America, the FNC host noted that Mitt Romney is technically eligible for Mexican citizenship, and then launched into him for not talking about his family connections to Mexico:
In 2007 to 2008, 2011 to 2012, thousands of campaign appearances, the most virulent anti-illegal immigration person ever, never once mentions that his father was born in Mexico, and his grandfather was born in Mexico, he is a hypocrite...
Below are both video and a transcript of the relevant exchange between Rivera and FNC host Bill O'Reilly from the Friday, January 13, The O'Reilly Factor:
GERALDO RIVERA: In 2007 to 2008, 2011 to 2012, thousands of campaign appearances, the most virulent anti-illegal immigration-
BILL O'REILLY: He's tough on it.
RIVERA: -person ever, never once mentions that his father was born in Mexico, and his grandfather was born in Mexico, he is a hypocrite-
O'REILLY: Oh, now you go off the rails!
RIVERA: How do you talk about illegal immigration of Mexicans-
O'REILLY: It doesn't matter.
RIVERA: -and you don't say once-
O'REILLY: I was, look, my people are from Ireland, and I didn't like what the IRA did.
RIVERA: But I hear that you're from Ireland all the time and your people are from Ireland all the time. How can you talk about all these Mexicans and never mention that your father is one of them and your grandfather is one of them?
- Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center