Romney has been running on a "family values" platform that has included strong statements against adult entertainment.
An article posted Monday on the Christian Broadcasting Network website pointed out that antiporn groups are wondering what Romney knew about Marriott's PPV porn offerings.
Phil Burress, founder of Ohio-based antiporn group Citizens for Community Values, said of Romney's connection with Marriott, "Ever since he announced for president, it's been a topic of discussion."
When Romney left the Marriott board to run for governor of Massachusetts, J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, said he was "an active, hands-on director … From his first days on our Board nine years ago, Mitt has been an extraordinarily effective director and visionary leader."
When CBN asked Romney's campaign about his involvement with Marriott, the campaign responded, "Governor Romney's role as board member was in an advisory capacity on financial matters related to the company and, obviously, he did not have a role in the day-to-day operations or decisions of individual franchise holders."
During an interview with the Associated Press, Romney said he did not recall pornography coming up for discussion during the almost 10 years he was on the Marriott board. Although he was chairman of the board's audit committee, he also claimed he was unaware of how much revenue pornography may have generated for the hotel chain.
The revenues of adult material on hotel PPV have been a closely kept secret for years: hotel chains routinely refuse comment, and companies that provide TV services to hotels don't subdivide their revenue reports by types of programming for public consumption.
