Republican Debate : Romney faces attacks in South

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Republican presidential hopefuls attacked beloved Mitt Romney’s business almanac and his abortion to absolution his tax allotment on Monday, attractive to arrest his growing drive during the aboriginal stages of a agitation in South Carolina.

Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum challenged Romney on his almanac and apprenticed voters to booty a analytical attending at the above Massachusetts governor, who leads the chase to aces a amateur to President Barack Obama.

“We charge to amuse the country that whoever we appoint has a almanac that can angle up to Barack Obama in a actual able way,” said Gingrich, the above House speaker, arresting his questions of Romney’s assignment at a clandestine disinterestedness close that critics say bargain jobs and plundered companies.

“That’s allotment of what a attack is about, to acknowledgment those questions and accord with them effectively,” he said.

Romney said his firm, Bain Capital, invested in added than 100 businesses and some absent jobs while others thrived and created jobs.

“If bodies appetite to accept addition who understands how the abridgement works, accepting formed in the absolute economy, again I’m the guy who can best column up adjoin Barack Obama,” Romney said.

Perry, the Texas governor, challenged Romney to absolution his tax returns. Romney has not agreed to absolution the returns, although he has not disqualified out accomplishing it in the future.

“We charge for you to absolution your assets tax so the bodies of this country can see how you accomplish your money,” Perry said.

Romney did not acknowledge to Perry’s request.

The candidates jumped to criticize Romney in one of the few actual opportunities to stop his drive to the choice afore Saturday’s South Carolina primary.

The agitation came hours afterwards above Utah Governor Jon Huntsman alone out of the Republican chase and accustomed Romney, bolstering his drive for his party’s nomination. Romney won the aboriginal two accompaniment nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire this month.

The agitation is the aboriginal of two to be captivated this anniversary in South Carolina, area a Romney win Saturday could put him on an about assertive aisle to absolute the appropriate to claiming Obama in November’s election.

Polls appearance Romney with a solid advance in South Carolina over Gingrich branch into the debate. Another agitation will be captivated in Charleston on Thursday, beneath than 48 hours afore South Carolina Republicans alpha to vote.