Newt Gingrich makes a point during the
opening question in the GOP debate in South Carolina. |
It took only a matter of minutes for the explosive allegations by
Newt Gingrich’s
ex-wife that he once asked for an “open marriage” that would include his
mistress to emerge front and center at Thursday evening’s Republican debate in
South Carolina.
Immediately after the candidates introduced themselves,
Gingrich was asked about claims his second wife, Marianne, made to
ABC
News and
the
Washington Post this week that the former House speaker in 1999, allegedly
in the midst of an affair with now-current wife Callista, had asked her to
engage in a permissive three-way arrangement.
Gingrich, who must have
anticipated the inquiry, theatrically responded with a blistering critique of
CNN’s
John King, who asked the question, the network, and the media in general.
“I am appalled you would begin a presidential debate with a topic like this,”
Gingrich said, as the crowd at the North Charleston Convention Center roared and
rose to their feet in support.
“Every person in here knows personal
pain,” Gingrich said. “Every person in here has had someone close to them go
through painful things.
“I am, frankly, astounded that CNN would take
trash like that and open a presidential debate.”
When King countered that
it wasn’t CNN, but ABC, that was promoting the interview with Marianne Gingrich,
Gingrich would have none of it.
“John, it was repeated by your network.
Don’t try to blame somebody else,” he said. “You and your staff chose to start
the debate with it.”
Marianne Gingrich, who was married to Gingrich for
almost 20 years, is expected to tell her story fully after the debate on a
special edition of ABC News’ “Nightline,” and her allegations come just as
Gingrich appears to be surging in the polls days ahead of South Carolina’s
primary.
Because Gingrich’s personal baggage is well documented (three
marriages, ethics issues, etc.), it remains unclear whether the claims will hurt
him among Republican voters.
But Gingrich clearly had decided to attack the story — and the media — with a
maximum of outrage. He called his ex-wife’s allegations “false” and suggested
that the media were purposefully targeting Republicans.
“They would like
to attack any Republican,” he intoned. “I am tired of the elite media protecting
Barack
Obama by attacking Republicans”
The other three candidates on the stage in South Carolina,
Ron Paul,
Mitt Romney
and
Rick
Santorum, were asked about the relevancy of Marianne Gingrich’s allegations.
Only Santorum seemed to suggest that Gingrich may have crossed a moral line, but
did not condemn him. “This country is very forgiving,” he said.
Romney
wouldn’t touch it. “Let’s get onto the real issues,” he said. “That’s all I
gotta say.
BUT.......
The GOP's multimillion
dollar
ad campaign invoking President Clinton's relationship with Monica S. Lewinsky
was devised by House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and tested before more than
three dozen groups of likely voters before Republicans unleashed the assault,
party sources said yesterday.
In reviving the presidential sex scandal just one week before Election Day,
Gingrich and his chief strategists aimed to energize their most loyal
supporters, whose enthusiasm appeared to be waning after House conservatives
lost the budget fight and the Clinton scandal fell off the front pages.
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