Romney Camp Keeps on Newt/Freddie

In Monday email, Boston repeats charge "Gingrich's Freddie Mac problem is another example of his unreliable leadership and represents the kind of Washington political games that Americans are fed up with."

Read the email below.

NEWT AND FREDDIE MAC: SIMPLE QUESTION, MULTIPLE ANSWERS

“For weeks now, Speaker Gingrich has struggled to explain exactly what he did in return for $1.6 million in fees from Freddie Mac. Not only has he distanced himself from his past work, but he is also distancing himself from the money he earned – saying it was for ‘overhead’ or that he didn’t ‘personally’ receive it. Speaker Gingrich’s Freddie Mac problem is another example of his unreliable leadership and represents the kind of Washington political games that Americans are fed up with.” –Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Yesterday, On CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Speaker Gingrich Said He Did Not “Personally” Get The Money He Was Paid By Freddie Mac And That His “Share” Was “Relatively Small”:

Gingrich Said He “Didn’t Personally Get That Kind Of Money … The Share I Got Was Relatively Small.” CBS’ BOB SCHIEFFER: “The Wall Street Journal had a particularly scathing editorial about your ties to Freddie Mac yesterday. They said that one problem you had was a lack of candor and that more damaging than your opponent's criticism of your ties to Freddie Mac…” GINGRICH: “Well I think candidly we earned that editorial by not stopping and handling this and laying it out. The facts are I didn't personally get that kind of money. It went to a consulting firm which had offices in three cities. The share I got was relatively small. We did consulting advice.” (CBS’ “Face The Nation,” 12/18/11)

Speaker Gingrich Has Struggled To Explain The Nature Of His Work For Freddie Mac While Also Distancing Himself From The Money He Collected:

The Washington Post: “As More Information Has Emerged, Gingrich’s Explanations Appear To Have Changed.” “Bloomberg News, in particular, has done an excellent job of trying to figure out exactly what Gingrich did to earn his hefty consulting fee from controversial mortgage giant Freddie Mac. As more information has emerged, Gingrich’s explanations appear to have changed. (“Glenn Kessler, “Newt Gingrich And Freddie Mac: Is He Being Misleading?” The Washington Post, 11/17/11)

Gingrich First Said He Was Paid As A “Historian.” “Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said during a Nov. 9 debate that he earned a $300,000 fee to advise Freddie Mac as a ‘historian’ who warned that the mortgage company’s business model was ‘insane.’” (Clea Benson and Kristin Jensen, “Gingrich Said To Be Paid By Freddie Mac To Court Republicans,” Bloomberg, 11/15/11)

· The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler: “[Gingrich’s] Answer During The Debate Was Clearly Misleading And Is Now Open To Dispute.” (Glenn Kessler, “Newt Gingrich And Freddie Mac: Is He Being Misleading?” The Washington Post, 11/17/11)

Next, Gingrich Explained That He Was Hired To Give “Strategic Advice.” “Speaking with reporters in Iowa on Wednesday, Gingrich said he provided ‘strategic advice for a long period of time’ after he resigned as House speaker following his party’s losses in the 1998 elections. He defended Freddie Mac’s role in housing finance and said, ‘every American should be interested in expanding housing opportunities.’” (Pete Yost and Thomas Beaumont, “Gingrich Defends Big Contracts With Freddie Mac,” The Associated Press, 11/16/11)

· PolitiFact: “Experts We Spoke With And The Research We Reviewed Showed The ‘Strategic Advice’ Category Is A Way Of Using Influence Without Having To Register As A Lobbyist.” (Politifact.com, 12/16/11)

Gingrich Then Said Freddie Mac Officials Would “Drop By” Once A Month, Which “Would Suggest That Gingrich Earned Up To $30,000 An Hour.” “Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is stepping up his defense of his lucrative consulting career – in part by arguing that he didn’t do very much to earn all that money. In an interview with Fox News, Gingrich said he only worked about an hour a month giving advice to Freddie Mac … Given previous reports on the size of the payments, that would suggest that Gingrich earned up to $30,000 an hour giving Freddie Mac strategic advice. ‘I think less than maybe once a month, they would drop by,’ Gingrich said. ‘We’d spend an hour. It would always start with me listening. I’d always say, “What are you trying to solve? What are your concerns? What are you trying to get done?”’” (Dan Eggen, “Gingrich Says He Spent Just An Hour A Month Advising Freddie Mac,” The Washington Post, 11/18/11)

Gingrich Now Says The Money Mostly Went For “Overhead” And That He “Did Not In Any Way Work In Influence, Per Se.” “Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich fought back on Saturday against attacks over the more than $1.6 million in payments he received from mortgage giant Freddie Mac, insisting the money went to overhead for his firm and not to his wallet. … The payment received over a six-year period was spent mostly on overhead, the former House of Representatives speaker said. … Gingrich insisted that he ‘did not in any way work in influence, per se.’” (Sam Youngman, “Gingrich Says Freddie Money Went To Overhead, Not Him,” Reuters, 12/17/11)

· PolitiFact: “Giving Strategic Advice Is Widely Considered A Way Of Using Political Influence Without Having To Register.” (Politifact.com, 12/16/11)

Former Officials At Freddie Mac Have A Much Different Take On What Speaker Gingrich Was Hired To Do:

Freddie Mac Officials Claim Gingrich Was Hired To Help Keep Conservatives From Dismantling The Mortgage Company. “Former Freddie Mac officials familiar with the consulting work Gingrich was hired to perform for the company in 2006 tell a different story. They say the former House speaker was asked to build bridges to Capitol Hill Republicans and develop an argument on behalf of the company’s public-private structure that would resonate with conservatives seeking to dismantle it.” (Clea Benson and Kristin Jensen, “Gingrich Said To Be Paid By Freddie Mac To Court Republicans,” Bloomberg, 11/15/11)

Former Freddie Mac Official: “Freddie Wasn’t Spending $25,000 To $35,000 A Month For Years To Have Somebody Give Them History Lessons…” “Five officials with knowledge of the interactions, and speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid getting drawn into a public fight with Mr. Gingrich, said they had never heard of him saying any such thing. ‘Freddie wasn’t spending $25,000 to $35,000 a month for years to have somebody give them history lessons on what would have happened in 1945 if Japan had won,’ one former official said.” (Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny, “Gingrich On Defensive Over Freddie Mac Fees,” The New York Times, 11/17/11)

Bloomberg: “With The Company Facing New Regulations From Congress, A High-Profile, Supportive Republican Leader Would Provide Indirect Benefits, [Freddie Mac Officials] Said.” “In 2006, Freddie Mac officials met with Gingrich in his Washington office on K Street to discuss a renewal of his consulting services, according to people familiar with the meeting. Freddie Mac didn’t want him to lobby in the traditional sense. With the company facing new regulations from Congress, a high-profile, supportive Republican leader would provide indirect benefits, they said. Gingrich agreed to work with Freddie Mac for an annual fee of $300,000 for two years, according to people familiar with the agreement.” (Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Kristin Jensen, “Gingrich Campaigning As Change Agent Profited As An Insider,” Bloomberg, 11/18/11)