[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
Newt Gingrich launched into a tirade against the news media at the top of the Republican primary debate here Thursday night, blasting one television network for airing a damaging interview with his ex-wife, Marianne, and tearing into another for making it the subject of a question in Thursday night’s forum.
CNN moderator John King directed the first question of the night to Gingrich, asking him if it was true – as Gingrich’s former wife alleged in an interview with ABC News – that he asked for an open marriage in the late 1990s.
Gingrich called that story “false” – and delivered an extended denunciation of both ABC and CNN for engaging Marianne Gingrich in the first place.
“I think the destructive, vicious negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country,” Gingrich said. “I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.”
He continued: “My two daughters wrote the head of ABC and made the point that it [the story] was wrong that they should pull it and I am frankly astounded that CNN would take trash like that and use it to open a presidential debate.”
It was a familiar ploy for Gingrich, who has frequently attacked the media in Republican primary debates, and earned uproarious applause from GOP voters as a result.
But the use of the tactic in Thursday’s debate – a crucial event that came as polls showed Gingrich gaining strength in advance of Saturday’s primary – left the former House speaker’s Republican opponents with little choice but essentially give him a pass on the issue. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney declined to comment on Marianne Gingrich’s allegations directly, as did Ron Paul – who tossed in a passing reference to his own, 50-plus-year marriage in the process.
“John, let’s get on to the real issues,” Romney told King.
Santorum said there are “issues of character for people to consider,” but added: “This country is a very forgiving country.”
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(Source: Politico)
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7 Responses
Oh well, economics was getting a bit boring
Wow! Go Newt!!
Way to go Mr Newt but you should have reminded them that in 1992 they had someone up there with similar problems & they treated him as a hero?!?!?
I guess such things are worthy of derisive comments from the YWN community only when they involve a Democrat.
I, for one have not voted for and will not vote for a candidate that has problems with marital fidelity. I’ve sat out a few elections because of the candidates weakness in this area.
#4- Newt has already admitted adultery, twice. There wasn’t any news. He has since claim to have repented of his evil ways, and wife #3 seems to vouching for that. It’s old news, and its irrelevant at this point.
What this is about is a vindictive ex-wife being given a platform to do her ex-husband damage. Remember this is the woman who had no problem taking someone else’s husband, but is upset that the same thing happened to her. She’s also the woman who left her husband and stayed apart from him for six years, and yet expected him to stay faithful the whole time. She’s entitled to her feelings, but airing the tape was a deliberate attempt by the network to damage his candidacy, and BH it backfired.