What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
The Romney campaign keeps hitting Newt Gingrich over the 1990s ethics case that ended with the former Speaker receiving a reprimand and paying a $300,000 penalty. Voters in Iowa and other states keep hearing that Gingrich "had to resign in disgrace." Byron York, who is a fantastic reporter, revisits the incident and the results are very surprising:
Given all the attention to the ethics matter, it's worth asking what actually happened back in 1995, 1996, and 1997. The Gingrich case was extraordinarily complex, intensely partisan, and driven in no small way by a personal vendetta on the part of one of Gingrich's former political opponents. It received saturation coverage in the press; a database search of major media outlets revealed more than 10,000 references to Gingrich's ethics problems during the six months leading to his reprimand. It ended with a special counsel hired by the House Ethics Committee holding Gingrich to an astonishingly strict standard of behavior, after which Gingrich in essence pled guilty to two minor offenses. Afterwards, the case was referred to the Internal Revenue Service, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the matter. And then, after it was all over and Gingrich was out of office, the IRS concluded that Gingrich did nothing wrong. After all the struggle, Gingrich was exonerated.
He goes through the specifics of the case, including the role Dukes of Hazzard actor Ben "Cooter" Jones played in the controversy. He briefly explains exactly how things developed and the short read is well worth it. The IRS checked out each of the videotaped lessons and the evaluations written by the college students who took the course. He was completely exonerated.
When he'd gone through the drama, the Washington Post and New York Times ran extensive coverage. On one day alone, the New York Times ran 11 stories on the Gingrich matter, four on the front page. The broadcast news likewise led with the story.
The story was much different when Gingrich was exonerated. The Washington Post ran a brief story on page five. The Times ran an equally brief story on page 23. And the evening newscasts of CBS, NBC, and ABC -- which together had devoted hours of coverage to the question of Gingrich's ethics -- did not report the story at all. Not a word.
An exception is this CNN report which gives some of the details:
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Apr '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Oh my word. We hate Gingrich so much --- because Dems accused him of trying to get Republicans elected to office? Seriously?
Jun '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
James Of England: There are two chief defenses for the impeachment of Clinton. Firstly, "character counts". The claim that the President's infidelity rendered him unsuitable for office is clearly one that Newt advocates cannot use.
The second is "it's the perjury, not the sex". The perjury, though, was not unambiguous. The definition of "sexual relations" that he was responding to required contact with Lewinsky's "genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks". Oral sex is not, by that definition, sex, and it was to that definition that he was responding. Since the definition, when applied to objects, only applied to the first two anatomic references, the "cigar incident" was not caught, either. Furthermore, perjury requires a high degree of intent; a response mistaken about whether the definition applied would not be enough. The last issue that gets raised here, the present tense denial of the relationship with Lewinsky, was very clearly protected by the Bronston standard.
Clinton should have been impeached for dragging the public discourse so far into the gutter.
Sep '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
James Of England
Franco
Do you think that "is" is a part tense statement? I've always been amazed by the response to that Clinton statement. He was making a joke about how obvious it is that he was speaking in present tense, and people make out he was using some obscure technical claim.
Compare, for instance, the passionate assault on John King, in which Newt called King "despicable" in an intensely felt speech, shortly before congratulating him on his moderation of the debate and being very friendly to him in the spin room.
No, James. "There is no relationship" was his statement regarding M. L. It was Clinton who used "is" as a tense. I heard it right away. "Is" is not was, but then I respect words and language. Anyway, if it was a matter of what constitutes sex (and your rationale is ludicrous BTW) then he would say it depends on what you mean by "relationship"
Speaking of respect for language you apparently have selective respect at best.
Newt said the question was despicable not John King.
Apr '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
~Paules
James Of England:
Clinton should have been impeached for dragging the public discourse so far into the gutter. · 14 minutes ago
I think you put the case far more neatly than I did. Thank you.
Oct '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
As more and more citizens become victims of regulations and over-reaching regulators, I am wondering if accusations are going to become less meaningful?
I live a boring middle-class life. My brother-in-law is a futures trader is who trying to get a 17-month audit to conclusion with no findings of wrong-doing. My brother was investigated as a college coach for an alleged hazing institute. Immeasurable damage to his reputation with no findings of wrong-doing. And the NCAA is a constant presence in his life. More friends than I can count have suffered through costly IRS audits.
I used to think "where there is smoke, there's fire." No more.
Sep '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
More friends than I can count have suffered through costly IRS audits.
That Newt was able to convince the IRS is the part that impressed me about his story. An out of control IRS team is the herpes virus of investigative nightmares; they just seem to replicate issues forever until the taxpayer is driven mad or dies.
Apr '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Franco
No, James. "There is no relationship" was his statement regarding M. L. It was Clinton who used "is" as a tense. I heard it right away. "Is" is not was, but then I respect words and language. Anyway, if it was a matter of what constitutes sex (and your rationale is ludicrous BTW) then he would say it depends on what you mean by "relationship"
Speaking of respect for language you apparently have selective respect at best.
Newt said the question was despicable not John King. ·
Huh. You agree with Clinton on "is"? Then why raise it? Could you expand on the ludicrousness of the rationale? Is it that you disagree with the definition? Because the definition was the one read out to him by Jones's lawyers before they asked Clinton the question, not mine.
I don't understand why the definition of relationship is controversial; so far as I know, no one claims that Clinton was having a relationship with Lewinsky at the time he denied it. The controversy is over the tense, and there you agree with him.
I think the transcript is ambivalent regarding "despicable". Newt certainly portrayed antipathy to King, though, right? Not admiration?
Sep '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
It was a terrible shame about Scooter, but the Plame affair was probably the worst that things have gotten since Newt resigned, and it's just not so big a deal.
Unless you're Scooter Libby.
Mar '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Nancy Pelosi "knows something" about Gingrich that will keep him from the Presidency? Potentially related to his ethics investigation?
What tosh. Gingrich is right. Out with it, Nancy. It if holds water, we'll be the judge. If you're just carrying water on the other hand.....
Aug '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
I bet he asked her for an open marriage.
Mar '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
I agree that the charges against Gingrich were phony, but what does it say about his leadership that a majority Republican House voted 395-28 against him?
Everyone rightfully hates on Congress around here, but a president who completely alienates his own party's congressional delegation isn't going to get much done.
Sep '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
The media have been focused on Mitt for months.
I think they're keeping they're powder dry on the anti LDS stuff and the Chicago boyz are loaded for bear on that one. That's the reason I think no Republican should go near the tithing issue with Mitt or charitable donations, because it will blow up and sink all of them before they even get to the nomination. Axelrod and crew will have a strategy to paint any one of Evangelicals, Mormons and Catholics as nuts and will adjust depending on how the race plays out. They'll use their usual divide and conquer tactics to peel off left wing "social justice" liberal protestants and liberal catholics through the Saul Alinsky style "small christian community" stuff that worked so well since the 50's. I don't think they'll be able to as easily divide Mormons (I get the impression that they're a much more cohesive group) and if that's true, they'll be just as happy to paint them all as wingy or (ahem) unstable.
Mar '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Misthiocracy
I bet he asked her for an open marriage. · 12 minutes ago
Misth, not only is the imputation dispicable, but so is the mental image you just gave me.
You'll burn sir! Burn, I say!
Aug '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Or...
A congressional delegation that is alienated by their own party's president will be far more likely to hold that president to account.
I see advantages to a Republican congress that doesn't really get along with a Republican president.
In fact, it feels like an ideal sort of situation.
Sep '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Percival
Misthiocracy
I bet he asked her for an open marriage. · 12 minutes ago
Misth, not only is the imputation dispicable, but so is the mental image you just gave me.
You'll burn sir! Burn, I say! · 8 minutes ago
Newt made her mad by saying one of two things:
"Why the long face?"
"You look surprised."
Edited on Jan 25 at 10:36amOct '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
My father went to his grave thinking that I, having attended some tea party events, was hanging out with a bunch of racists. He didn't believe it because tea partiers were accused of yelling a racist word at a congressman during the Obamacare debate. He believed it because Republicans tripped over each other to get in front of a camera to apologize for it.
I never had any success convincing him it didn't happen.
Aug '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Doesn't she know that sort of thing only makes Newt stronger? Congress as a whole has a low approval rating, but of all of them, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Nancy's is the lowest.
Mar '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
Misthiocracy
I see advantages to a Republican congress that doesn't really get along with a Republican president.
In fact, it feels like an ideal sort of situation.
It's always good when Congress and the president antagonize each other, regardless of party affiliation.
But there's a difference between antagonizing your own side and making them hate you so much that they eagerly hang you on the nearest lamppost based on some meaningless accusations by the other party.
But who knows, maybe Gingrich has mellowed a little since then.
Mar '11
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
DrewInWisconsin
Doesn't she know that sort of thing only makes Newt stronger? Congress as a whole has a low approval rating, but of all of them, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Nancy's is the lowest. · 13 minutes ago
Even worse, Romney is now encouraging Pelosi to reveal what she knows. If Romney has to rely on Nancy Pelosi's help to win...
Jul '10
Re: What Really Happened With The Gingrich Ethics Case?
He was an unbelievably successful conservative Speaker of the House. Getting Democrats to vote against him, easy. Getting the establishment Republicans (John Boehner) to vote against him was also easy. As this article points out, being conservative in Congress can cost you allies.