Breitbart’s Nolte Gets #MittRomneySexTape Trending to Mock Trump Tax Rumor

John Nolte, Senior Editor at Large of Breitbart News, put out a meme on Twitter Thursday that exploded into widespread mockery of former governor Mitt Romney: #MittRomneySexTape.

What's trending on Twitter now #MittRomneySexTape pic.twitter.com/j2b64BNZwt

— LST (@LongShortTrader) March 4, 2016

.@MittRomney #MittRomneySexTape trending ~1289 tweets/hour. This isn't a good thing just in case you don't understand 😉

— Ossie NaN (@kc9vgr_oz) March 4, 2016

Romney began the rumor that there is a “bombshell” in Donald Trump’s tax returns that would hurt his standing in the Republican presidential primary. IN a Thursday column, Nolte declared this tactic akin to McCarthyism:

What is beyond disgraceful, though, is Mitt Romney, a man who himself was a victim of these McCarthy-ite tactics, gleefully practicing the same against Trump. With no evidence, nothing to back up his accusations, the same Mitt Romney who lacked the nerve to prosecute Obama over Benghazi, demanded a fellow Republican prove he’s not a communist liar, thief, or felon.

Later that afternoon, Nolte turned the tables on Romney with a similar insinuation–that the twice-failed presidential candidate had something to hide that is much more intimate than taxes.

RT if you believe Mitt Romney should release his sex tape.

— John Nolte (@NolteNC) March 3, 2016

Let's get #MittRomneySexTape trending.

He needs to prove he doesn't have one!#MittCarthyism
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) March 3, 2016

By the evening, the hashtag organically blew up into over 20,000 tweets, and one person created a dedicated account, @MittRomneyTape.
Nolte says Romney is going after Trump out of personal ambition rather than concern for the Republican Party. “Mitt Romney is hoping to disrupt the Republican primary, sneak into the convention, and steal the nomination through a dirty backroom deal,” he tells his colleagues at Breitbart News. And the potential existence of a compromising video threatens that effort.
“He wants a third shot at losing the presidency, and if there’s a sex tape out there, the American people need to know about it. And if there is not a sex tape, Mr. Romney needs reassure the American people by proving it.”