Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s debate jab at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney over immigration was a “cheap shot,” says Rick Santorum, who trails both candidates in the Republican primary race.
In a contentious two-hour debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, Perry criticized Romney for being a hypocrite on immigration issues, having at one point employed illegal workers himself through a lawn service. Romney fired back that Perry’s facts were off.
“He did tell the people he didn't want illegals working in his home, and that's pretty much all you can do other than to, you know, maybe hire a service that certifies,” Santorum said on Fox and Friends Thursday, defending Romney.
For his part, Santorum joked that he wouldn’t have any problems with a lawn service.
"I've got my own lawn service -- my four boys," he said.
The former senator from Pennsylvania said he doesn’t like the bickering that goes on during these debates, but views them as a necessary evil to weed out the vulnerabilities of candidates, which are sure to come up again during debates with President Obama.
“We need to find out in the Republican primary where the vulnerabilities are... who is the best person to go up against this president, how they measure up in a tough debate, whether they can hold their own, whether their record is in fact one that is the best to compete. And that's what these debates are for,” Santorum said.
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