Falwell Compares Gingrich To Ronald Reagan
By Jerry Garner
In a televised interview on Friday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted to having an extramarital affair. The affair had taken place during the time he was leading the charge against Clinton’s affair. Reverend Jerry Falwell has praised Gingrich for admitting his sin, and compared him to Ronald Reagan.
The former Speaker of the House appeared on the evangelical television program “Focus on the Family” on Friday. During the program, Gingrich admitted to the show’s founder, James Dobson, that he had an extensive affair during the 1990s with a congressional aide. Gingrich, now 63, is 20 years older than the former aide.
The controversy surrounding this revelation stems from the fact that, during the same period as his own affair, Gingrich was leading the charge against then-President Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Anticipating that he would be labeled a hypocrite, Gingrich attacked this point head-on and stated that he should not be considered a hypocrite because he was just doing his job in the Clinton impeachment case. He also pointed out that Clinton was facing charges for not telling the truth to a federal judge, not for the affair itself.
"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," Gingrich said during the televised interview.
Opponents of Newt Gingrich, who could very well be a 2008 presidential candidate, are already stating that this is nothing more than a thinly veiled excuse. Critics of the former House Speaker point out that it was entirely hypocritical of Gingrich to appropriate more than $40 Million to Ken Starr’s investigation prior to Clinton’s appearance before a federal judge.
Gingrich, who is often presented as a champion of family values, ultimately divorced his wife at the time, and opted to enter into marriage with the aide he was having an affair with. His marriage to the aide, Callista Bisek, is Gingrich’s third marriage. His first wife states that Gingrich presented her with divorce while she was in recovery from cancer surgery. Gingrich has used the Oliver North defense on this topic, stating that he simply does not remember.
Despite the sharp criticism one would expect from a confession of this magnitude, Gingrich has gained the favor of at least one outspoken fan. The Reverend Jerry Falwell has come out to praise Gengrich for having the courage to go public with the truth of his past misdeeds. Falwell even went so far as to compare the infidelity of the former speaker with former President Ronald Reagan’s status as the first divorcee to run for the office.
"I well remember the challenge we evangelicals faced in 1980 when our candidate, Ronald Reagan , was the first presidential candidate who had gone through a divorce. We wisely made allowance for God‘s forgiveness and America was the beneficiary of this historic champion," Falwell stated.
The admission has left many to wonder if Gingrich is beginning to make serious plans for a 2008 presidential race, and is admitting his wrongdoing now as a form of damage control. Even though he has no firm campaign plans, Gingrich continues to rank high in conservative presidential polls. Gingrich served as Speaker of the House under the republican congress. He resigned his post in 1998 after being reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee.
Related News Stories:
Newt Gingrich Admits To Having Affair While Leading Clinton Probe
Gingrich admits to infidelity amid attack
Falwell praises Gingrich admission
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