Newt 2012 Letter to TV Stations Regarding False Ads From Romney's Super PAC

newt.org ^ | February 17, 2012 | Newt Gingrich

[Marguerite]

February 16, 2012

General Manager/Station Manager/Vice President

Re: False and Misleading Advertisements Produced by the “Restore Our Future” Super PAC

Dear Sir or Madam:

This letter issues on behalf of Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (the “House”), Republican candidate for President of the United States, and his principal campaign committee, Newt 2012, Inc.

It has recently come to our attention that your station has either been asked to run, or may soon be asked to run, various advertising spots produced by the Mitt Romney aligned Super PAC, Restore Our Future, Inc. (“ROF”). Included among the Romney advertisements submitted to your station for broadcast are likely to be various spots that specifically mention Speaker Gingrich and assert that he partnered with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in support of legislation providing financial support for China’s “one-child policy.”

The content of these advertisements state and/or suggest that Speaker Gingrich “co-sponsored a bill with Nancy Pelosi that would have given $60 million a year to a U.N. program supporting China’s brutal one-child policy.” This statement is fundamentally NOT TRUE, or as PolitiFact.org put it – a “Pants on Fire” lie. In fact, as clearly shown by the language of the actual legislation at issue and the false ratings given to these ROF ads by various media and fact-check organizations, ANY statement, suggestion, or innuendo that Speaker Gingrich supported China’s one-child policy or worked with Congresswoman Pelosi to provide funds for such a policy is fundamentally false and misleading. If published after your receipt of this letter, it will be a knowing publication of a false statement. As such, it represents a defamatory communication, which exposes this station to potential civil liability.

In turn, we do hereby DEMAND that your station immediately REFUSE, and if started, CEASE airing any such advertisements and refrain from broadcasting their content until such time as the libelous statements have been removed.

FALSITY OF CONTENT

Any statement or suggestion that Speaker Gingrich worked with Speaker Pelosi to provide funding for a U.N. program supporting China’s “one-child policy” is unequivocally false. A basic review of the piece of legislation referenced in ROF’s advertisements undeniably establishes the invalidity of such an accusation.

The statement of concern in ROF’s advertisements relates to a piece of legislation known as House Resolution 1078, which was introduced on February 22, 1989 but never passed. That bill, labeled as the Global Warming Prevention Act of 1989, primarily set national goals for the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide and encouraged countries around the world to forge agreements addressing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the legislation required the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor various environmental problems associated with greenhouse gases and develop plans for a future administrative response to such problems.

As part of these efforts, the bill also called for the federal government to provide financial support to certain developing countries that endeavored to pursue economic growth in an environmentally-sensitive fashion. In conjunction with this financial aid effort, the language of H.R. 1078 specifically called for monetary support of the United Nations Population Fund (“UNPF”), an international development agency focused on helping developing countries and their citizens tackle various problems associated with population growth, migration, aging, climate change, urbanization, gender inequality, poverty, and disease.

The language in the ROF advertisements at issue specifically contends that H.R. 1078 would have provided $60 million a year to UNPF, which may or may not have been involved in supporting family planning activities in China. According to ROF, this would have included financial support for the nation’s one-child policy, the Chinese government’s effort to limit internal population growth to one child per couple through methods such as forced sterilization and abortion. As set forth below, however, this ROF contention regarding H.R. 1078 is fundamentally and absolutely FALSE.

The claim is false because the explicit language of H.R. 1078, Section 1102, Part C specifically prohibits any funding provided under the bill to be used for “the performance of involuntary sterilization or abortion or to coerce any person to accept family planning.” (See Attachment #1, p. 2). Based upon this provision in the legislation, no funding (let alone 60 million dollars) could have been provided to UNPF if it in any way participated in activities associated with, supporting or promoting China’s one-child policy. And no matter what ROF claims to the contrary, H.R. 1078 clearly prohibits the federal government from providing a single dollar of assistance to any public health or aid organization supporting sterilization, abortion, or coerced family planning in China or any other country.

....................................................

Beyond these facts, however, it is also important to note that the veracity of ROF’s one-child policy claims has been openly called into question by a variety of impartial observers since the Super PAC first began producing television spots attacking Gingrich’s co-sponsorship of H.R. 1078. When ROF ran similar spots in Florida leading up to the state’s January 31st presidential preference primary, PolitiFact Florida openly criticized the claim and characterized it as “Pants on Fire”, its lowest “Truth-O-Meter” rating and a brand of abject falsity. (See Attachment #2). In light of ROF’s recent decision to run ads making the same statements in Georgia, PolitiFact Georgia has also reached the same conclusion – rating ROF’s one-child policy claim a “Pants on Fire” lie. (See Attachment #3). Other members of the news media have also picked up on PolitiFact’s analysis and/or independently reported on the falsity of ROF’s one-child policy claims, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, ABC News, FactCheck.org, and WZVN-TV in Florida. (See Attachment #4, pg. 2 & Attachments #5-7).

In sum, there is absolutely no support for the one-child policy claims made by ROF in its latest Georgia advertisements. Not only does the language of the legislation itself stand in direct contradiction to ROF’s statements about Speaker Gingrich, but various neutral parties have independently assessed the one-child policy claims and judged them to be fundamentally untrue. As such, this station should consider statements attempting to link Speaker Gingrich to support for China’s one-child policy in any ROF advertising as patently false, misleading, and defamatory. And, given the fact that the language of H.R. 1078 is abundantly clear and part of the general public record, we are left with no other conclusion but to assume that such communications by ROF are made with either knowledge or reckless disregard of their inherent falsity.

DEMAND

Through the above repudiation of the falsities contained within ROF’s present Georgia television spots regarding Speaker Gingrich and H.R. 1078, your station has been given notice and absolute knowledge of the defamatory nature of such advertisements. As a result, any further attempt to broadcast or communicate such advertisements or any of their inaccurate content to the general public will expose your station to potential liability for both libel and false light invasion of privacy. In turn, and as previously stated above, we do hereby request that your station immediately cease airing any such false advertisements and completely refrain from broadcasting their content until such time as the aforementioned defamatory statements have been removed.

Please govern your actions accordingly. We look forward to receiving your prompt reply to this correspondence and request that any questions regarding its contents be directed to my attention.

Sincerely,

HALL, BOOTH, SMITH & SLOVER, P.C.

PATRICK N. MILLSAPS Deputy General Counsel, Newt 2012

[Marguerite]

"As a result, any further attempt to broadcast or communicate such advertisements or any of their inaccurate content to the general public will expose your station to potential liability for both libel and false light invasion of privacy. In turn, and as previously stated above, we do hereby request that your station immediately cease airing any such false advertisements "

[Marguerite]

Ping

Gingrich says that by running the ad, it would be a "knowing publication of a false statement," which fits the definition of malice under libel statutes in many states.

[Christie at the beach]

I hope they don’t let up. These untruthful political action groups should be held responsible. I don’t blame Newt, I would not want someone publicly making false claims of my character.

[Marguerite]

"The content of these advertisements state and/or suggest that Speaker Gingrich “co-sponsored a bill with Nancy Pelosi that would have given $60 million a year to a U.N. program supporting China’s brutal one-child policy.” This statement is fundamentally NOT TRUE, or as PolitiFact.org put it – a “Pants on Fire” lie."

http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2012/feb/15/restore-our-future/newt-supported-chinas-one-child-policy-super-pac-s/

"He co-sponsored a bill with Nancy Pelosi that would have given $60 million a year to a U.N. program supporting China’s brutal one-child policy," says the voice in the ad paid for by Restore Our Future. The super PAC is run by supporters of Mitt Romney.

Restore Our Future refers to House Resolution 1078, which was introduced on Feb. 22, 1989, before Gingrich became speaker and when Democrats had control of the House of Representatives.

The legislation was called the Global Warming Prevention Act of 1989. It set national goals to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and encouraged international agreements to address global warming, PolitiFact Florida reported. It required the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor global warming and create plans for future action. It supported stricter fuel standards for cars and alternative energy. It also sent money to developing countries to encourage practices that reduce carbon emissions.

The bill had several hearings but received unfavorable reviews from the administration of George H.W. Bush and never became law.

The Restore Our Future website says the $60 million went to the United Nations Population Fund and that President Ronald Reagan withheld funds from the program after he determined the program, which supports family planning and contraception, was supporting Chinese actions.

The bill did propose money for the United Nations Population Fund. But Section 1102, Part C, of the bill prohibits using any of the funds for "the performance of involuntary sterilization or abortion or to coerce any person to accept family planning." That is the exact opposite of the language in Restore Our Future’s ad about Gingrich.

As we mentioned, PolitiFact Florida rated this claim Pants On Fire."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The news circulation of Romney’s lying ads against Newt, coordinate nicely with Santorum’s anti-Romney “mudslinging” ad - Rombo.

[Marguerite]

Mitt Pants-on-Fire Romney

[Marguerite]

Those two creeps Mitt&Rick are disputing among themselves the order in P/VP.

[Marguerite]

"He co-sponsored a bill with Nancy Pelosi that would have given $60 million a year to a U.N. program supporting China’s brutal one-child policy," says the voice in the ad paid for by Restore Our Future. The super PAC is run by supporters of Mitt Romney.

Section 1102, Part C, of the bill prohibits using any of the funds for "the performance of involuntary sterilization or abortion or to coerce any person to accept family planning." That is the exact opposite of the language in Restore Our Future’s ad about Gingrich."

[Christie at the beach]

Many republicans were in such a panic to stop Romney, now created another flawed weak candidate to rise in that process. The candidate has not even went through any descent amount of vetting. No way a candidate under those circumstances could hold up in the general. (perfect October surprise scenario as well) Romney truly is a liar. Thank you posting. I learn alot at this forum.

[Marguerite]

I hope they don’t let up. These untruthful political action groups should be held responsible. I don’t blame Newt, I would not want someone publicly making false claims of my character.

I do hope that as well. Mitt Sleaze Romney crossed the line of decency. I do hope he'll pay from his own pocket as much money in fines, as his super PACs spent to smear Speaker Gingrich.

[Marguerite]

Gingrich Calls Romney A “Liar”

“Somebody who will lie to you to get to be president will lie to you when if he become president.” — Newt Gingrich

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB9Aa6qVauE

[Christie at the beach]

-> I do hope that as well. Mitt Sleaze Romney crossed the line of decency. I do hope he'll pay from his own pocket as much money in fines, as his super PACs spent to smear Speaker Gingrich.

That is one of those negative ads in which the Speaker confronted Romney with at one of the debates. I recall Romney responding to say that he would check into it. Newt is pro-life, those accusations cut deep. Thank you for your great posts.

[Marguerite]

“I recall Romney responding to say that he would check into it. Newt is pro-life, those accusations cut deep.”

Here it is: Romney lying live at GOP debate in New Hampshire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPGXBJ0-Mw&feature=relmfu

[onyx]

Newt Gingrich for President Ping List!
Newt.org

[Marguerite]

Do you recall this?

Romney Busted For Claiming He Didn’t Know About his campaign Ad Where Gingrich Calls Spanish “Language of Ghetto”

When confronted with an ad saying that Gingrich called Spanish, “the language of the ghetto”, Romney said he doubted it was his ad. He gets busted by Wolf Blitzer.
At the end of the ad, it’s Romney’s voice, saying in halting Spanish “I am Mitt Romney and I approve this message”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGOszIeRfE&feature=related

He’s such a despicable, dishonorable man; lying live on TV, while eight million people were watching him.

[onyx]

Yes! I’ll never forget that. He turned to Newt and said, said, “it’s true?”

[Marguerite]

Mitt knew his mendacious ad was a lie. He lied to Newt, he lied to Blitzer, he lied to the Republican voters in Florida and he lied to the eight million audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHapuEmt2xw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSkLw6UvpaM

[GulfBreeze]

You’re an idiot. Gingrich rocks but people like you aren’t doing anything but hurting his campaign. Why are you attacking Santorum? He has nothing at all to do with this and is running an honest and upstanding campaign.

[katiedidit1]

Marguerite, shows me that the Romney camp, supporters, gop establishment would sell their souls to win the White House. Outrageous LIES about the Speaker and they question Newt’s christianity?

GO NEWT! 2012! We will never give up the fight!

[caww]

Santorum? He has nothing at all to do with this and is running an honest and upstanding campaign

Really? LOLOLOLOLOL