Former Republican presidential nominee says the President lied to Americans when he told them they could keep their existing health-insurance plans

Days after President Barack Obama visited Massachusetts to trump his signature health care law, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, the architect of the Massachusetts health care law that served as a model for the national bill, accused the President of lying when he told Americans that they could keep their existing health-insurance plans.

I think that fundamental dishonesty has put in peril the entire basis for his second term, Romney said Sunday on NBCsMeet the Press.Insurers are canceling plans that dont meet the Affordable Care Acts standards, forcing those on the individual market with those plans to search for a new plan that meets the laws criteria.

In the interview with David Gregory, Romney pushed back on some of the revelations in a new book on last years presidential campaign, Double Down: Game Change 2012.No one could have worked harder than myself and my family did for the campaign, Romney said, responding to claims he didnt want to win the White House. We were all in 100%.

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Romney also defended New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from revelations in the book that he did not fully cooperate with the candidates team of lawyers who were vetting the outspoken governor as a potential vice-presidential pick.Theres nothing they found that wasnt part of the record, Romney said. Theres nothing new there.

They dont come better than Chris Christie, he added.Thats the kind of popularity and track record the GOP needs if were going to take back the White House.

Asked about the 2016 crop of Republican contenders, Romney said the front-runners for the GOP nod areChristie, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former vice-presidential nominee Representative Paul Ryan. Romney said the party will bevery anxious to choose someone in 2016 who has the best prospect of actually winning. When asked specifically about Tea Party favorite Senator Ted Cruz, Romney said he didnt wish to disqualify anyone, but already made his prediction.

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Romney Accuses Obama of ‘Fundamental Dishonesty’ on Health Care