Mitt Romney, responding to an assertion from Rick Perry that the Massachusetts governor hired illegals to do his lawn work:
ROMNEY: …[W]e hired a lawn company to mow our lawn, and they had illegal immigrants that were working there. And when that was pointed out to us, we let them go…So we went to the company and we said, look, you can't have any illegals working on our property. I'm running for office, for Pete's sake, I can't have illegals. It turns out that once question, they hired someone who had falsified their documents, had documents, and therefore we fired them.
Rick Perry, telling CNN debate moderator Anderson Cooper that he’ll give the answers he wants, regardless of the question asked of him:
COOPER: Then let me ask the question of Governor Perry. Governor Perry, the 14th Amendment allows anybody. A child of illegal immigrants who is born here is automatically an American citizen. Should that change? PERRY: Well, let me address Herman's issue that he just talked about. COOPER: Actually, I'd rather you answer that question. PERRY: I understand that. You get to ask the questions, I get to answer like I want to. And Herman talked about --
Michele Bachmann, responding a question on illegal immigration:
BACHMANN: Well, I think the person who really has a problem with illegal immigration in the country is President Obama. It's his uncle and his aunt who are illegal aliens...
Newt Gingrich, urged to criticize Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan after the other Republican candidates had taken aim:
COOPER: Speaker Gingrich, you have said in recent days that Mr. Cain's 999 plan would be a harder sell than he lets on. How so? GINGRICH: Well, you just watched it.