Mitt Romney's Sons Make Birther Joke, Claim GOP Hopeful Doesn't Know If He'll Release Tax Returns (VIDEO)

During a New Hampshire campaign stop for their father on Thursday, one of Mitt Romney's sons joked that the Republican presidential candidate would release his tax returns if President Obama released his grades and his birth certificate.

"I heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as President Obama releases his grades and his birth certificate... then maybe he'd do it," Matt Romney said in an exchange that was captured in exclusive video by Patch.com.

"He has not said that he will not do it, and he's also not said that he will," Matt Romney said. "I don't know the answer to that. I'm not sure he knows the answer to that, but he'll do everything that he needs to. He's certainly not afraid of anything, he's not hiding anything."

The Republican presidential hopeful has refused to release his tax returns, prompting the Democratic National Committee to question what Romney is "hiding" in a new video.

After the younger Romney made the birther joke, Tagg, another of Romney's sons, quickly chimed in to note "that was not my dad saying that."

"No, no no, that was just a suggestion," Matt added.

Obama did release his birth certificate in April of this year, but has still received scrutiny from birthers who believe the document isn't authentic. One critic, "birther queen" Orly Taitz, attempted to challenge Obama's New Hampshire ballot eligibility over the issue, but was rejected by the state's Ballot Law Commission.

Click here to read more on Romney's sons' New Hampshire appearance from Patch.

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m. -- Mitt Romney's son Matt Romney sent out his first tweet on Friday from the account @Matt_Romney to apologize for his comment about President Barack Obama's birth certificate earlier in the day.

@Matt_Romney
Matt Romney

I repeated a dumb joke. My bad. RT @emilyrs Romney's son Matt made an Obama birth certificate joke on the trail in NH

December 30, 2011 5:01 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

"I repeated a dumb joke. My bad. RT @emilyrs Romney's son Matt made an Obama birth certificate joke on the trail in NH," he wrote, retweeting a post from Politico's Emily Schultheis.

Where the GOP presidential candidates come down on birtherism:

Comments

[Spencer PiercePerez]

12:04 PM on 01/02/2012

Apparently Mitt is a supporter of our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq; however, how come NONE of HIS children have served in the military?!

[Southernthinker]

11:11 AM on 01/02/2012

We are our Grandfathers' sons.

[anne1stoftwo]

09:36 AM on 01/02/2012

Good to see that Mitt raised his sons to be as biggoted as he is. So Obama released his BC some while ago. Romney now release your grades and taxes... NOW

[lloydc123]

08:43 AM on 01/02/2012

Test 1234

[LameDuckHunting]

05:38 AM on 01/02/2012

The same sons who are serving America by working on getting The Romney Unit elected president? Send them to Afghanistan..........................

[LameDuckHunting]

05:38 AM on 01/02/2012

They think missionaries are DELICIOUS.........................

[lloydc123]

08:37 AM on 01/02/2012

True.

[LILLYPUTT]

03:15 AM on 01/02/2012

Mitt was a liberal when he was Governor of Mass. He is really conning the slow thinking Tea Party, big time.

[LILLYPUTT]

02:53 AM on 01/02/2012

How many wives did Mitts Great Grandfathers and Great Great Grandfathers have?????

[Turtlenewz]

05:55 AM on 01/02/2012

Many??

[LILLYPUTT]

02:50 AM on 01/02/2012

Four sons who hide behind their mormonism, but daddy would send other peoples children to fight and die to protect all of their as..s.They are a pitiful joke.

[lloydc123]

08:38 AM on 01/02/2012

Fanned.

[MauricioC]

12:42 AM on 01/02/2012

You're not in Utah any more, little man.

[Inkeesgirl]

01:20 AM on 01/02/2012

fanned. These kids are not ready for prime time

[thomasskycap]

10:12 PM on 01/01/2012

Watching Romney campaign, is sickening, lying to people with that phoney insincere smile pretending to be the friend and savior of the 99% he's nothing but a 1% wolf in sheep's clothing.

[Boopsie2008]

09:44 PM on 01/01/2012

I realize that Romney doesn't have to show his returns, but it's kind of become traditional, hasn't it?

And yes, I'd like to know how much he's raking in while claiming to understand the plight of the poor and unemployed.

[IWantTofu]

09:34 PM on 01/01/2012

It's funny that Romney's son can't even man up and say that his father just won't release his tax returns, and would rather repeat the joke about Obama not being born in Hawaii as a way of distracting reporters from the issue. More distressing is that it worked. These reporters were distracted by the idiotic comment.

[kaymettee]

07:41 PM on 01/01/2012

Romney should show his returns. We don't need another president that hides things or feels he entitled to do as he pleases because he's the president, we've had enough of that. If he won't show them what else won't he show. The president should be out in the open and everything to know about him should be too. Nothing hidden, whether naughty or nice. (still in xmas mode). Let's not let any other president get away with what Obama did with his czars, birth certificate, school marks etc. You can tell Romney is a polished politician, all you have to do is listen to just one speech and that bothers me. Reminds me of a used car salesman. No insult intended. It's just that a polished politician will promise you this, that, and everything and give you nothing. I truly want to be wrong.

stuff

[DeloresT]

08:36 PM on 01/01/2012

Obama hasn't gotten away with anything. He has been scrutinized possibly more than any other president.

[Boopsie2008]

09:26 PM on 01/01/2012

F&F

[LawrenceL]

10:33 PM on 01/01/2012

Remember when Cheney wouldn't let the public know whom he had appointed to his board of energy advisors?

And how he sued all the way to the Supreme Court to keep that information *from* the public?

So I really don't need to hear from any more nonsense from a naif like you.

[kaymettee]

02:26 PM on 01/02/2012

Larry............from the naif...They didn't call them czars, they called them aides. He showed a short version of his birth certificate and didn't produce the long form for over a year and a half, there abouts. Time enough for a very good forgery but not saying he did that. If you read again you'll see that I didn't just pick on Obama. I'm a independent. The politicians that I personaly know are awesome so I know what to look for. How's that my fellow naif.

stuff

[jgmambo]

06:48 PM on 01/01/2012

In a Democracy you have the freedom to choose ,the same way you chose to vote for abortion.

[Thisboy]

05:38 PM on 01/01/2012

You've got to be taught to hate and fear,
Day after day Year after year'
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You have got to be taught before it's too late
Before you reach six, or seven,or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught.

And Mitt has obviously carefully taught this child well.
I wonder if Matt Romney finds all those Mormon jokes about his dad as funny as Obama's children would find his jokes about their father?

[RockyMissouri]

06:42 PM on 01/01/2012

You make me proud....

[LILLYPUTT]

03:03 AM on 01/02/2012

I agree, like how many first ladies would we have if old Mittie Pooh was President????