Star of Obama Super PAC Ad Won't Comment on Ad's Premise

Joe Soptic is the star of the controversial Obama super PAC ad that suggests Mitt Romney's actions at Bain Capital are responsible for his wife's death in 2006.

"In the ad, released Tuesday by Priorities USA and titled 'Understands,' Soptic makes his most heated claim to date, suggesting a link between his wife’s death five years ago and the Bain takeover," the Washington Post reports. "'When Mitt Romney and Bain closed the plant, I lost my health care, and my family lost their health care,' Soptic says in the minute-long ad. 'And a short time after that my wife became ill . . . she passed away in 22 days.'"

But, after the ad has been roundly rebuked by folks on the left and right, Soptic appears to be backing down.

"[Soptic] declined to comment on whether he feels Romney is to blame for his first wife’s death, as the ad seems to suggest," the Washington Post reports. "Referring to his former employer, he said: 'They made certain promises and I feel like if they did fulfill those promises she would have had health insurance.'"

CNN reports that Ilyona Soptic had health insurance through her own employer when her husband lost his job. But she was not employed and no longer had coverage by the time she was diagnosed with end-stage cancer.

Romney told Fox News on Tuesday that he hadn’t seen the spot. He suggested that Obama and his allies were willing to say anything to stay in power.

Asked if he expected to get a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in September, Soptic laughed.

“Well, it’d be nice,” Soptic said. “I’d like to meet the president, I tell you that.”