Robert Lichfield, a controversial Utah businessman linked to an organization facing civil allegations of child abuse and also connected to the largest contribution in the 2006 Maine governor's race, has resigned from a fundraising position with Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Lichfield is named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by more than 100 families alleging that their teenaged children were mistreated at "behavior modification" centers associated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, an organization that Lichfield founded.
Until he resigned from the Romney campaign, Lichfield was co- chairman of its Utah finance committee.
Lichfield's role with the former Massachusettts governor's campaign has come under scrutiny since the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram reported in May on both the civil lawsuit and Lichfield's connection to contributions totaling $250,000 to a political action committee established in Maine by the Republican Governors Association.
In 2006, when the Maine contributions were made, Romney was chairman of the Republican Governors Association. In that role, Romney was trying to help elect numerous Republican candidates for governor, including Chandler Woodcock in Maine.
Ken Kay, the president of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, said Friday that he's been asked to refer all questions to the Romney campaign. But he earlier told Radaronline.com that Romney asked Lichfield to end his involvement with the campaign's fund-raising activities.
"Gov. Romney has asked Mr. Lichfield to step down and not be involved in any more fundraising until the lawsuit is resolved in the positive, which we are confident will happen," Kay said in an e-mail to the Web site.
Romney spokesman Sarah Pompei confirmed the resignation, but also said that Kay is not associated with the Romney campaign and has no standing to assert that Lichfield was asked to resign.
"Robert Lichfield resigned on his own accord from the Romney campaign and is not a part of any campaign or finance activities," Pompei wrote in an e-mail.
Staff Writer Kevin Wack can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: kwack@pressherald.com
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