Sen. Marco Rubio denied a report from the Huffington Post that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was expected to endorse him for president.
According to Scott Conroy of the Huffington Post, who cited two Republican sources, Romney was preparing to endorse Rubio ahead of the Nevada caucuses once former Florida Governor Jeb Bush exited the race.
“Well, that report is false,” Rubio explained to CNN’s Jake Tapper this morning. “I have no reason to believe that he’s anywhere near endorsing anyone.”
Rubio explained however that he would “love” to have Romney’s endorsement to help him bring the party together. “We have to be on the same team and it’s one of the reasons why I believe I will be the nominee, because I give us the best chance to unify,” he said.
But Rubio denied knowledge of any Romney endorsement on the way. “I don’t know where those reports are coming from, but they’re false,” he repeated.
Several other sources immediately denied the report to other reporters and Rubio campaign staffers expressed skepticism about the report.
“It would be quite a bizarre endorsement roll out strategy: Don’t tell us, and break news in Huffington Post,” Rubio media consultant Todd Harris mused on Twitter.
The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman also cited sources who said that the report was not true.
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