Romney Campaign Press Release - Earth to Newt: Tell the Truth

Gingrich Has Become Notorious For Making False And Misleading Statements:

PolitiFact: Gingrich Is Head And Shoulders Above Any Other Republican Candidate In Making Factually Inaccurate Statements. "By PolitiFact's reckoning, Mr. Gingrich has strayed from the facts most often. PolitiFact found more wrong than right in a majority of Mr. Gingrich's statements that they graded. That is to say, 59 percent of Mr. Gingrich's grades fell on the bottom half of the scale (pants on fire, false and mostly false)." (Micah Cohen, "Another Check On The Campaign's Truthiness," The New York Times' "Five Thirty Eight" Blog, 1/27/12)

Gingrich Says He Was Exonerated Of Ethics Violations On All Counts — But Gingrich Was NOT Exonerated For His Violation Of House Rules And For Providing False And Misleading Information To Congress:

Gingrich: "CNN Has Done An Entire Package Pointing Out That On Every Single Count I Was Exonerated. I Never Paid A Fine Which Is A Term Romney Uses Over And Over Again." (FOX's "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/12)

• Gingrich Was Formally Reprimanded By The House For Breaking House Rules And "Giving The House Ethics Committee False Information" — Not For Tax Fraud. "The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reprimand House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and order him to pay an unprecedented $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House's 208-year history it has disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing. ... Exactly one month before yesterday's vote, Gingrich admitted that he brought discredit to the House and broke its rules by failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law and by giving the House ethics committee false information." ("House Reprimands, Penalizes Speaker," The Washington Post, 1/22/97)

• PolitiFact: "Gingrich Was Fined $300,000 For Ethics Violations, And We Rate The Statement True." (PolitiFact.com, 12/21/11)

• Then-House Ethics Committee Chair Nancy Johnson (R): "I Believe It Is An Appropriate Penalty. It Demonstrates That Nobody Is Above The Rules." "The committee's 7 to 1 vote came after 5 1/2 hours of televised hearings ... 'This is a tough penalty,' Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.), chairman of the ethics panel, said after the vote. 'I believe it is an appropriate penalty. It demonstrates that nobody is above the rules.'" (John E. Yang and Helen Dewar, "Ethics Panel Supports Reprimand of Gingrich," The Washington Post, 1/18/97)

• Rep. Porter Goss (R-FL), House Ethics Committee Member: Justice Was Done. QUESTION: "Congressman Goss, was justice done today?" GOSS: "I think so. I think we had a very firm, a very fair, and a very thorough process. ... I think that the Speaker acknowledged that when he admitted it, and I am delighted that we had the type of support we had from our colleagues on the floor. I think they were well informed. I think they concluded with us by and large, and if my guess is right on my arithmetic, better than 90 percent of them agreed with us." (PBS' "NewsHour," 1/21/97)

• Gingrich Himself: "My Actions Did Not Reflect Creditably On The House Of Representatives." "I brought down on the people's house a controversy which could weaken the faith people have in their government. ... I accept responsibility for this, and I deeply regret it. I did not seek personal gain, but my actions did not reflect creditably on the House of Representatives." (Rep. Newt Gingrich, Press Release, 12/21/96)

Gingrich Now Denies His Controversial Comments About The Spanish Language Were About Spanish At All — Even Though He Later Apologized For Them In Spanish:

Gingrich Now Says He Could Have Been Talking About Any One Of 94 Different Languages. GINGRICH: "I was giving a speech, talking about the importance of everybody learning English. There are 94 languages in Miami-Dade College. ... This is not a reference to any one language. We don't want anyone trapped in America not able to speak English, because English is the language of commercial success. ... Now he turned that on its head and basically suggested something that was simply plain not true." (FOX's "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/12)

• PolitiFact: The Claim That Gingrich Equated Spanish With "The Language Of Living In A Ghetto" Was "Mostly True." "Gingrich didn't say specifically that he was talking about Spanish, though most people assumed that was the language he was referencing. Gingrich recorded a web video in Spanish a few days later saying he could have worded his comments better. With those caveats in mind, we rate this claim Mostly True." ("Spanish-Language Ad Says Newt Gingrich Said Spanish Is 'The Language Of The Ghetto'," PolitiFact, 1/25/12)

• Days Later, Gingrich Apologized — In Spanish. "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is trying to assuage Latinos over recent comments on bilingual education by delivering a video statement -- in Spanish and English -- in which he concedes his word choice was 'poor.' In the statement...Gingrich said his comments were not an 'attack' on Spanish, and he revealed he has been taking Spanish lessons 'for some time now.'" ("Gingrich Admits -- In Spanish -- 'My Word Choice Was Poor'," CNN, 4/4/07)

• Gingrich Said He Recognized His Comments Caused A "Bad Feeling Within The Latino Community." "'I made some comments that I recognize caused a bad feeling within the Latino community. My word choice was poor but my point was simply this: In the United States it is important to speak the English language well in order to advance and have success," he said." (Kasie Hunt, "Gingrich Clarifies 'Ghetto' Word Choice," Associated Press, 4/6/07)

Gingrich Accused Romney Of Trying To "Tear Down" His Opponents — But Gingrich Has Benefited From Discredited And Blatantly Untrue Ads While Conservatives Have Railed Against Newt's Own Attacks:

Gingrich: "He Has A Basic Policy Of Carpet Bombing His Opponent. He Doesn't Try To Build Up Mitt Romney, He Just Tries To Tear Down Whoever He's Running Against." (FOX's "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/12)

• Gingrich "[Reaped] The Benefits Of Attacks That Have Been Nationally Branded As False While Publicly Distancing Himself." "By calling for the ads to come down or undergo changes, Mr. Gingrich was potentially getting to have his cake and eat it too, reaping the benefits of attacks that have been nationally branded as false while publicly distancing himself. Yet he also faced the risks of being associated with an attack by a group that has a former close aide, Rick Tyler, as a senior adviser." (The New York Times, 1/14/12)

• Gingrich's Super PAC Released A Video Called "Manipulative" And "Completely Off Point" By The Washington Post. "Only one of the four case studies directly involves Romney and his decision-making, while at least two are completely off point. The manipulative way the interviews appeared to have been gathered for the UniMac segment alone discredits the entire film." (The Washington Post, 1/13/12)

• Worker Featured In Gingrich Super PAC Ad: "We Were Pretty Shocked. Our Quotes Were Seriously Taken Out Of Context. There Is A Real Lack Of Facts." "In fact, Mike Baxley, who was interviewed for the film, said that he and his partner had 'absolutely no idea' that the interviews were for a film about Romney and Bain. He said they thought they were being interviewed for a documentary about the factory closing. 'They said they wanted to know what it was like when the factory closed down,' he said, and he, his partner and his partner's wife agreed to interviews after 'they flashed a little money at us.' ... [H]e said: 'We were pretty shocked. Our quotes were seriously taken out of context. There is a real lack of facts.'" (The Washington Post, 1/13/12)

• The Wall Street Journal Called Gingrich "Desperate" And Compared His Attacks To Michael Moore. "About the best that can be said about the Republican attacks on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital is that President Obama is going to do the same thing eventually ... Yet that hardly absolves Newt Gingrich ... and others for their crude and damaging caricatures of modern business and capitalism. Politics isn't subtle, and these candidates are desperate, but do they have to sound like Michael Moore?" (Editorial, "The Bain Capital Bonfire," The Wall Street Journal, 1/11/12)

• Americans For Prosperity's Tim Phillips: Gingrich's Attacks "Sink To The Level Of Some Of The Worst Anti-Free Market, Class Envy Politics..." "The American people deserve a vigorous campaign of contrasts on the records of candidates and their policy proposals, not heavy-handed, populist tinged attacks on free enterprise. ... [W]e are disappointed to see attacks from some Republican presidential candidates on Mitt Romney and Bain Capital, which sink to the level of some of the worst anti-free market, class envy politics constantly pushed by the Obama Administration and those in the Occupy camps." (Americans For Prosperity, Press Release, 1/11/12)

• Club For Growth's Chris Chocola: Gingrich's Attacks Are "Disgusting ... Just Beyond The Pale." "Newt Gingrich's attacks on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital are disgusting. ... Attacking Governor Romney for participating in free-market capitalism is just beyond the pale for any purported 'Reagan Conservative.' Newt Gingrich should stop his attacks on free markets and apologize to Governor Romney for them." (Club For Growth, Press Release, 1/9/12)

• Investor's Business Daily: Gingrich Is Using "A Script That Sounds Straight From The Left Wing Of The Democratic Party." "It was only a matter of time before Michael Moore would do a number on Mitt Romney and his private equity firm, Bain Capital. ... But wait. That's not Moore putting out this stuff. It's Newt Gingrich ... [t]aking shots at Mitt Romney for being a practicing capitalist. Capitalism is an economic system that, last we checked, all the Republican hopefuls heartily endorse. But lately they've been reading a script that sounds straight from the left wing of the Democratic Party." (Editorial, "What If U.S. Government Got The Bain Treatment?" Investor's Business Daily, 1/9/12)

A Selection Of Other False Claims Made By Gingrich

ON BALANCED BUDGETS:

Gingrich: "When I Was Speaker, We Had Four Consecutive Balanced Budgets..." GINGRICH: "Well, first of all, the case I make is that, when I was speaker, we had four consecutive balanced budgets, the only time in your lifetime, Brian, that we've had four consecutive balanced budgets. Most people think that's good." (GOP Presidential Candidates Debate, Tampa, FL, 1/23/12)

• PolitiFact: Gingrich "Can Plausibly Claim Credit For" Two Balanced Budgets — Not Four. "During fiscal years 1996 and 1997 — the first two that Gingrich helped shape as speaker — there were deficits: $107 billion in 1996 and about $22 billion in 1997. By fiscal year 1998, the federal budget did reach a surplus of $69 billion. And in fiscal year 1999 — which Gingrich can claim some responsibility for, even though he was out as speaker for most of the fiscal year — it was in surplus as well, to the tune of $126 billion. But that's only two balanced budgets he can plausibly claim credit for." (PolitiFact, 1/23/12)

ON CAP-AND-TRADE:

Gingrich: "I Never Favored Cap-And-Trade." "I said publicly, sitting on the couch with Nancy Pelosi is the dumbest single thing I've done in the last few years. But if you notice, I never favored cap-and-trade." (Fox News' "Huckabee," 12/3/11)

• PolitiFact: "We Rate His Statement False." "Gingrich, as a presidential candidate in 2011, declared, 'I never favored cap and trade.' But we found solid evidence he did, with the condition that carbon caps be combined with tax incentives to encourage energy companies to innovate. He told Frontline a cap and trade system combined with tax incentives is 'something I would strongly support,' and even [said] the country 'would be much better off' if cap and trade had been instituted. That's favoring it. We rate his statement False." (PolitiFact, 12/7/11)

• The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler: "By All Available Evidence, Gingrich Has Changed His Position On Cap And Trade. That's Fine, But It Is Disingenuous Of Him To Claim That He Has 'Never Favored Cap And Trade.'" (Glenn Kessler, "Gingrich And Cap-And-Trade: A Flip-Flop?" The Washington Post, 12/5/11)

ON GOLDWATER VS. ROCKEFELLER:

Gingrich: "I've Been A Conservative My Entire Life. I Went To A Goldwater Organizing Meeting In Columbia, South Carolina In 1964." GINGRICH: "I've been a conservative my entire life. I went to a Goldwater organizing meeting in Columbia, South Carolina in 1964. I worked with Ronald Reagan starting in 1974. As I said before, I worked with Kemp and others to develop supply-side economics..." (Newt Gingrich, Town Hall Meeting, Dubuque, IA 12/27/11)

• Gingrich: "In The Years Of The Rockefeller-Goldwater Process ... I Was A Rockefeller State Chairman In The South." "But wait — didn't Gingrich say this, in 1988? ... 'And I think this party in that sense is a very different party than it was, say, from the fights in the years of the Rockefeller-Goldwater process — a period in which, by the way, I was a Rockefeller state chairman in the South.'" (Alexander Burns, "Rocky — No, Barry — No, Rocky!" Politico, 12/27/11)

• In 1989, Gingrich Said He Had Spent "Most" Of His Life In The "Classic Moderate Wing Of The Party," Citing His Past Work For Rockefeller. GINGRICH: "There is almost a new synthesis evolving with the classic moderate wing of the party, where, as a former [Nelson] Rockefeller state chairman, I've spent most of my life, and the conservative/activist right wing." ("A Conversation With Newt Gingrich," The Ripon Forum, 5/89)

• Commentary's Peter Wehner: "Ronald Reagan Was A Goldwater Republican; Newt Gingrich Was Not." "People can decide for themselves whether it matters or not, but for the record, Newt Gingrich was (based on his own words in 1988) a Rockefeller Republican. I point that out only because these days Gingrich likes to present himself as a 'Goldwater Republican.' Ronald Reagan was a Goldwater Republican; Newt Gingrich was not." (Peter Wehner, "Newt Gingrich, Rockefeller Republican?" Commentary, 1/25/12)

ON LOBBYING:

Gingrich Insists He Reported To "The Head Of Government Relations, Not The Head Of Lobbying" At Freddie Mac. LAURA INGRAHAM: "Why did you report to the head of lobbying at Freddie Mac if in fact — in essence you weren't a lobbyist? I think you have to answer that." GINGRICH: "First of all, it's the head of government relations, not the head of lobbying." ("The Laura Ingraham Show," 1/24/12)

• "The Freddie Mac Executive Who Hired Gingrich Was ... The Head Of Freddie Mac's Lobbying Operations." "[Gingrich's] Freddie Mac work gives off a whiff of lobbying, according to the contract he just released. Specifically, the Freddie Mac executive who hired Gingrich was not the CEO, nor the VP for operations, or the VP for communications, but Craig Thomas, the VP for Public Policy — that is, the head of Freddie Mac's lobbying operations. Thomas was a registered lobbyist at the time." (Timothy P. Carney, "Gingrich Worked For Freddie Mac's Lobby Shop," The Washington Examiner, 1/23/12)

ON HIS ETHICS REPRIMAND:

Gingrich Said His Unprecedented Ethics Reprimand "Related More To The Politics Of The Democratic Party Than The Ethics." GINGRICH: "I think what it does is it reminds people who probably didn't know this that [Nancy Pelosi] was on the Ethics Committee, that it was a very partisan political committee, and that the way I was dealt with related more to the politics of the Democratic Party than the ethics. And I think in that sense, it actually helps me in getting people to understand — this was a Nancy Pelosi-driven effort." (Fox News' "On The Record," 12/6/11)

• Third-Party Fact Checkers "Found [Newt's] Claim False." "Statements earlier this month by Gingrich that the investigation was partisan were reviewed by both FactCheck.org and PolitiFact, which found the claim false. ... [T]he investigation was not partisan, both organizations concluded." (Jason Clayworth, "Gingrich Says He Wasn't 'Fined' For Ethics Wrongdoing," Des Moines Register, 12/15/11)

• PolitiFact: "Pants On Fire!" (PolitiFact, 12/7/11)