Robert Costa of the Washington Post reports:

NEWS: ROMNEY took the meeting… he met privately w/ Kristol on Thurs at JW Marriott in DC. Kristol urged Romney to consider indpnt bid… — Robert Costa (@costareports) May 6, 2016

Romney remains unwilling to run, per person close to him. But Kristol courted him. Said he should run or at least support bid, if it happens — Robert Costa (@costareports) May 6, 2016

Story will be posted on WashPost website soon… Kristol went on record to discuss… — Robert Costa (@costareports) May 6, 2016

While Mark Halperin reports:

On WADR @BillKristol says after talking to @MittRomney at a DC fundraiser last night, Bill thinks Mitt might be open to running 3rd party — Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) May 6, 2016

The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol tweeted earlier in the day that he hoped Romney support for an independent bid could “jump start” the process:

Mitt's active support could help jump start an independent candidacy, both w/ resources and credibility. @BenSasse https://t.co/IVGjENTUJy — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 6, 2016

We’ll update this post once Costa’s article goes live.

UPDATE:

Mitt Romney met privately with William Kristol, who is leading the effort to draft an independent candidate https://t.co/CyqM3N1ukY — Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 7, 2016

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