Posted on 12/26/2011 9:41:27 AM PST by TBBT
Carrollton, Georgia (CNN) -- Newt Gingrich claims that it was his first wife, not Gingrich himself, who wanted their divorce in 1980, but court documents obtained by CNN appear to show otherwise.
The Republican presidential candidate, now in his third marriage, has been peppered with attacks and questions about his divorce from Jackie Gingrich for the past three decades.
Questions about his past -- and what that past tells voters about his personal behavior -- have re-emerged as he has returned to the political scene 13 years after he resigned as speaker of the House.
A new defense that has arisen as Gingrich entered the presidential race this year is the insistence that she, not he, wanted the divorce.
On the "Answering the attacks" page of his campaign website, Newt.org, which "(Sets) the Record Straight: Newt's Positions on the Issues and His Record," the campaign discusses Gingrich's first divorce.
"It was (Jackie Gingrich) that requested the divorce, not Newt," the campaign website said, referring readers to an online column written by Gingrich's youngest daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, last May.
Cushman, 13 when her parents separated in 1980, was rebutting persistent rumors that her father served divorce papers on her mother the day after cancer surgery. In the column, Cushman writes that papers were never served in the hospital, and that her mother did not actually have cancer.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Recycled old news? No people really care?
OK, I’m not a Newt fan, but this is ridiculous.
As far as I am aware, Gingrich hasn’t discussed this. It was his daughter who did so.
Mr. Clean Perfect Hair is getting viscious!!
WHO GIVES A SH!# !
His wife could have asked for it.....and he filed.................So what. Wish the media did this type of digging for Obama
I wonder if we can anticipate such scrutiny of zero’s past in the upcoming election
Yawn. Who gives a damn? We need a candidate that is not a spouting, pandering liberal and who will FIGHT OBAMA toe-to-toe and then LEAD this country back to being America again and run by and for the people?
Romney cannot fight Obamacare and will fight Obama one-on-one.
Paul will have you speaking Farsi.
Hello America?
How unbelievably petty. This is going to backfire.
Most people despise this level of gutter politics. I smell the stench of desperation.
The legal filings ALWAYS reflect the reality of what actually happened in a divorce,,, everybody knows THAT! sarc/
Wow, how absolutely critical to our nation—Newt’s divorce 30 years ago. It’s so nice that they gave militant, radical Obama a proctology exam in 2008 about his background.
This is a part of Gingrich’s history and speaks to his character. Whether he has reformed is up to the voters to decide.
However, these are original and legitimate documents, and it’s best to get it all out there and discussed now. Were Gingrich to get the nomination, better now than next summer, for sure.
All candidates have baggage. It does no one any good to deny or refuse to confront it.
It was a huge thing when Giuliani ran. Freepers held him to a high standard for failed marriages.
CNN should try expending their resources on informing its audience on the connection between Tony Rezko and Obama and Obama and Blagovich.
“This is a part of Gingrich’s history and speaks to his character.”
Yeah,, we need to examine their marriages from 30 years ago. Thats the only way we can be sure to get a man who was always faithful, and was deeply religious,,,like Jimmy Carter.
the Obama team is notorious for using marriage/divorce issues to remove their challengers from the race.
I’d rather not have Newt as our candidate, but he isn’t the one who is destroying our country.
Any personal issue these jerks try to use against our side, are nothing compared to the threat our current administration is to the nation.
In many cases it’s the offended party who files for divorce.
Old witch hunts. It is a constant with the msm and Romney/Paul supporters. Just saw Fox News showing the ad of Newt and Pelosi again. They are only hammering Newt...why is that? why so many after Newt? after all IF the front runner is the one supposedly bashed dont you think Romney is getting a free pass?
Very little on Bain, Romneys refusal to release his fed tax returns or the extent Romneycare injured the state of Mass...all hush hush
>> However, these are original and legitimate documents, and it’s best to get it all out there and discussed now. Were Gingrich to get the nomination, better now than next summer, for sure.
All candidates have baggage. It does no one any good to deny or refuse to confront it. >>
Yeah, let’s go with this hot breaking news, Newt was divorced. Wow, I never knew that. /s
Maybe I'm being picky, but why couldn't the writer just say
“her mother did not have cancer.”
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