Romney Caught Urging Bosses to Threaten Workers Jobs Who Don't Vote for Him

GOP presidential hopeful is heard telling business leaders to warn of workers' scary 'future' if Obama wins

Remember those letters CEOs of (not so) small businesses were writing to their employees telling them to vote for Mitt Romney or risk losing their job? Apparently Mitt Romney, himself, may have played a part in them.

On June 6, Romney led a conference call with support from the conservative National Federation of Independent Business during which he urged the bosses to persuade their employees to vote for him in the upcoming election. Romney suggested the bosses tell their employees which presidential candidate they should vote for to protect "your enterprise and therefore their job." (Listen to the conference call here.)

"I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections," said Romney in a recording obtained by "In These Times." "Nothing illegal about you talking to your employees about what you believe is best for the business, because I think that will figure into their election decision, their voting decision and of course doing that with your family and your kids as well."

[ALSO READ: Is Voting For Obama Worth Losing Your Job?]

That effort may have been what led to bosses like ASG Software Solutions' CEO Arthur Allen and David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts, to send emails to their employees telling them to vote for Romney or risk their status as employed.

The email from Allen read, in part:

"...if the U.S. re-elects President Obama, our chances of staying independent are slim to none. If we fail as a nation to make the right choice on November 6th, and we lose our independence as a company, I don't want to hear any complaints regarding the fallout that will most likely come."

Similarly, Siegel wrote to his employees:

"If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company."

That all sounds a lot like what Romney urged business owners to say during his conference call with the National Federation of Independent Business.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the law surrounding such efforts by employers treads into a "gray area," but it all sounds suspiciously like voter intimidation, doesn't it?

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