Jimmy Carter’s grandson, James Carter IV, helped release the secret video of Mitt Romney , saying it wasn’t his job to worry about Obama voters, NBC News reports .
Carter said he he tracked down the person who took the video of Romney on Twitter and then sent him several messages encouraging him to release the full tape to Mother Jones .
Carter then emailed his grandfather the story about the video, and the former president replied, “James: This is extraordinary. Congratulations! Papa.”
The 35-year-old said he was proud of his ability to track down the source and that his motivation was to help Democrats get elected. “If there is anything I can find in any race, I try to do that,” he said.
But Carter’s motivation was also personal. Romney has repeatedly attacked the former president for his “weak” foreign policy. The younger Carter said it gets under his skin and that he doesn’t like criticism of his family. He also said he wasn’t paid by any organization for his role in releasing the tape.
James Carter IV said he noticed a YouTube link to a short video clip under the name “Rachel Maddow” in which Mitt Romney talked about his investment in a Chinese company. The clip was taken down and then posted under another name, “Anne Onymous,” since the account owner had no relationship with Maddow. Carter says he was curious and tweeted a link to the video and then noticed he was being followed by Anne Onymous shortly afterward.
Carter then messaged the follower and encouraged him to give the full video to David Corn, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief. The source confirmed that the video was taken at a May 17 fundraiser in Boca Raton.