well there were plenty of smart people who were able to figure this out BEFORE she dropped out and exposed herself for the leftwing hack that she is. Laura Ingraham for one, had Newt on her show and tore him a NEW ONE over this, and he could NOT defend himself. This was on her radio show PRIOR to Scozza's dropping out and total unmasking. So, yes, i DO fault him for being stupid about this. He DUG IN when it was fairly clear he had erred. Her throwing her support to the Dem was a perfect illustration of what an absolute ass he was to be taken in by her.
It was a tough choice. But he had good reasons for making the choice he did. Just as Laura Ingram (Ingraham?) had good reasons for disagreeing with him.