Mitt Romney seems to agree with a Marco Rubio backer that it's better for his message if everyone at least thinks the Florida senator is being vetted to be the Republican vice presidential nominee. After ABC News reported Tuesday morning that Rubio was not being asked to submit financial documents as part of the vetting process, and The Washington Post got a Romney adviser to confirm mid-morning that Rubio hadn't gotten past the first phase of vetting. Well, Romney told The Associated Press Tuesday afternoon that Rubio is being "thoroughly vetted" to be his running mate. "We've learned Romney can be pressured into breaking 'no talking about veepstakes' pledge," The Atlantic's Molly Ball tweeted. She continued: "New Q, can he be pressured into picking Rubio?"

There's a lot that's appealing about Rubio as a running mate: He's young, he's from a swing state, he's Latino. But there's plenty to get out of the appearance that Rubio could be Romney's running mate too. Florida Republican strategist Ana Navarro complained to BuzzFeed's Zeke J. Miller Tuesday, "There is nothing to gain for Mitt Romney from a leaked rumor that Marco Rubio is not being vetted... He has won two CPAC polls, he’s very beloved by the base, and he’s an effective surrogate and fundraiser. There is a lot more to gain from the perception that he’s being vetted than reports saying that he isn’t." She emphasized that point in a second interview, saying Romney's campaign "unnecessarily dissed a very popular figure of the conservative base and the most prominent Hispanic Republican. Romney has nothing to gain from this."

Does this count as an apology?

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Elspeth Reeve