Posted on 09/30/2008 2:02:35 PM PDT by PhiKapMom
Gingrich Denies Whipping Against Bailout September 30, 2008 4:00 PM
ABC News' Teddy Davis, Arnab Datta, and Rigel Anderson
Report: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that he did not personally urge members of Congress to vote against Monday's failed Wall Street bailout bill, disputing a report made earlier in the day on MSNBC by correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
"MSNBC is just wrong," said Gingrich. "And it is probably wrong deliberately. It is a stunningly dishonest network."
"I believe that if they would simply look at what I released yesterday, if they look at what I said on 'This Week' on Sunday, they'll see that what I said was, 'I deeply opposed Paulson's original proposal. I deeply opposed the liberal Democrats making it even worse on Thursday,' I did everything I could," said Gingrich.
"And I think that John Boehner and Roy Blunt would confirm this -- or Eric Cantor or Paul Ryan would confirm this -- I did everything I could over the last five days to improve this bill. And I said with great reluctance I would vote for it," he continued, "and I gave a statement to that effect to Leader Boehner, who was going to both put it in the record and share it with all my friends and former colleagues, so I was actually reluctantly trying to help it get through."
Gingrich offered his scathing criticism during the question and answer period which followed a Tuesday speech on the financial crisis at the National Press Club.
Appearing earlier in the day on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," NBC's Andrea Mitchell reported that she had been "told reliably by leading Republicans who are close to" Gingrich that the former House Speaker "was whipping against" Monday's failed Wall Street bailout bill "until the last minute" when he issued what Mitchell called a "face-saving statement."
"Newt Gingrich was telling people in the strongest possible language that this was a terrible deal," Mitchell continued, "not only that it was a terrible deal, that it was a disaster, that it was the end of democracy as we know it, it was socialism. And then at the last minute comes out with a statement when the vote is already in place."
Mitchell's report was followed by MSNBC's Mike Barnicle saying, "Andrea, I could hug you for saying that because I was told last night by two or three members of Congress that this was the opening salvo of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign four years hence."
When Barnicle raised the prospect of Gingrich seeking the White House by undermining the House Republican Leader, Mika Brzezinski interjected by borrowing the words Boehner had used to describe the Wall Street bailout.
"Talk about a crap sandwich," said Brzezinski.
Watch the MSNBC video on ThinkProgress.
Gingrich led the charge against Paulson's original proposal last week, telling ABC News on Tues., Sept. 23 that John McCain could not vote in favor of it and still claim "with a straight face" to be "the reform candidate."
The next day - on Wed., Sept. 24 - Gingrich issued a statement to the press praising McCain for suspending his campaign and "putting everything on the line" to try to get a bipartisan "economic package" to replace what he called the "failed Paulson bailout package."
Appearing Sunday on ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Gingrich said that he suspected that he would "probably" end up voting "reluctantly yes" on the revised bailout if he were still in office. He coupled this with a call for Henry Paulson's resignation, claiming that the U.S. Treasury Secretary had behaved in an "un-American way" by initially asking for $700 billion without legislative oversight or judicial review.
On Monday, with the vote underway on the House floor, Gingrich made his position on the bailout definitive, issuing a statement saying that if he were still in office he would "reluctantly and sadly" support it. Gingrich explained his change in position by saying that the House Republicans, "reinforced by John McCain," have improved the bill "significantly" so it is "less bad" than the original proposal offered by Paulson.
MSNBC did not have an immediate reaction to Gingrich's criticism.
This needs to be repeated.
Is Newt a citizen? Is he not allowed to urge against certain legislation?
Gingrich is one of the few republicans who is fighting back, Bush and the rest have got their tails between their legs....
Republicans need smart articulate fighters who don't stand down a any cost...
I wonder if there are any of these Republicans???
Cantor? Jindal? Palin if they let her go?
Republicans need fighters???
Which other young GOOD republicans can i look to in 4 years????
“...It is a stunningly dishonest network.”
Man, I get a kick out of Newt!
DITTO PhiKapMom!
Stop watching MSNBC. I understand, it’s like a train wreck and hard to peel your eyes away but you add credibility to them by giving them ratings.
Use your efforts instead to call or email their sponsors.
Yes, well, give Gingrich time and a reason, and he’ll pin all of them down.
Actually, Gingrich's support of the Bill's passage shows that he still doesn't understand the American people and is still an elitist himself.
Good for Newt, but I hope he realizes that future sessions on the couch with Pelosi is not likely.
I do that too, not very often.... and I always feel dirty for doing it.
sorry, I have a great deal of respect and faith in Gingrich.
I am sorry also, but he had a chance to be great, but blew it with his compromises as Speaker and even now, he TALKS a great game but when he ACTS, he is a compromiser.
Remember the ad with him seating with Pelosi?
My thoughts exactly. Who cares if he talked to them. I wish I could.
That is my favorite quote that I have heard in a long, long time!
I stopped watching cnn/msnbc/cbs/nbc/abc “news” long ago, but I thought that it was only the neilsen families that were counted. How do the networks know you are watching them?
Why are they trying to blame everyone other than the one who is at the root of this debacle—Nancy Pelosi. It was HER job to get the thing passed or fix it into something that could be passed, and she failed miserably to do that.
I heard on the radio when I was out that she didn’t even have the Dem Whip look for votes so I think the defeat was orchestrated to blame McCain, House Republicans, and now Newt. MSNBC has their talking point papers from the Obama camp.
Would bet they thought the markets were going to tank again today and then everyone would come running back to pass the original Dem bill which is GARBAGE!
LOL! Newt should have watched her he teamed up with including Hillary.
So I guess we don't need any bailout at all. Thanks Wall Street!
I agree with that. Also think that they should increase the amount of FDIC insured deposits.
Think this is the October surprise by the Dems to elect Obama, and keep the House and Senate and Bush fell for the Paulson plot.
Fed had the authority all along to release money so why the sky is falling? Slimey bunch of Dem snakes.
Could Andrea not find time to report on who truly did and did not whip votes? For example, Nancy Pelosi?
Andrea Mitchell has selective memory loss which doesn’t allow her to report the truth when it comes to the Dems.
Still think this whole deal was a set up to get McCain and for the Dems to keep the House and Senate. Looking more like it by the hour.
Fox News reported that, although there was no deal when McCain returned to Washington the first time, the Rats deliberately said there was for the explicit purpose of then saying there wasn't and then blaming the "break-down of the deal" on McCain.
Pelosi's appalling and wicked speech was another event that clearly demonstrated where the Rats want to take this crisis, in terms of using it to get Obambi elected. There was no need for such a speech, nor does Pelosi usually make speeches. The House was virtually empty when she gave her speech---so her audience was the MSM, who would then dutifully repeat her diabolical duplicity to a duped public.
Fox News also reported that their on-the-spot reporter in the House had been reporting ALL DAY that there were not enough votes to pass the first bailout bill. Yet Nancy held the vote anyway. In the afternoon. Before the House recessed for the "Jewish holidays" (whaaaa? From people who hate Israel in all their policies and who are so afraid to offend Muslims that they rail against appropriate racial profiling?).
I am with you — I have always laughed at conspiracy theories but no more when the facts fit what is happening. It is not something far out this time.
The Dem whip did not whip votes for the bill. That spoke volumes about what Pelosi and the Dems were up to and were hoping the stock market would crash so bad and no recover.
These Democrats are not the Democrats of old. I can remember hearing the Republicans were teaming with the southern Dems to defeat bills. Now the liberals have infested the Dem party so much that there is little in common with the American people. When they chose a Speaker from SF, it said it all — Dems were going far left which means ethics out the window.
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