Posted on 12/20/2011 9:18:11 AM PST by katiedidit1
DAVENPORT, Iowa - Following a barrage of attacks from his Republican rivals that have led to sagging poll numbers, Newt Gingrich on Monday addressed one of the issues that's generated some of the most controversy for his presidential campaign -- his consulting firm receiving $1.6 million from mortgage giant Freddie Mac.
During an appearance at a security firm in Davenport, Gingrich said he personally received "about $35,000 a year" from his firm's contract with Freddie Mac, which he said was less than what he had charged for giving a speech.
He also said he talked to House Republicans about the mortgage lender's troubles "as a citizen" but that former GOP Reps. J.C. Watts and Rick Lazio have said their former House colleague never lobbied them on the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
HEAR! HEAR!
I agree 100%
well said EDINVA. Could they possibly be Obamanites? sounds rather marxist to me to expect a McDonald’s cashier to make as much as a historian, geography teacher, former congressman and speaker, author of best selling books, consultant due to his expertise on political matters and also a man hired to give speeches throughout the country.
1000s of Americans made more than that by refinancing for what they KNEW was more than their house was worth for a mortgage they KNEW they could not repay and they used the money to buy CRAP and then when the chips fell, they WALKED.
Here you go...
http://newtgingrich360.com/video/newt-answers-in-depth-questions-concerning-freddie-mac
Thank you. IMO this should have settled the matter with the other candidates on the gop slate. They know Newt’s response and chose to continue attacking with lies. Selling their soul for poll numbers. I have lost so much respect for Paul, Romney and Bachmann.
Fair enough...but when does it stop? The Newt-haters won’t be satisified until he posts his personal check register on photobucket.
I respectfully disagree.
Former politicians who do consulting work often are selling their influence.
My concern is that when they sell this influence to a quazi-government agency (like Freddie and Fannie) it is not for services but to buy silence. It is not like they were buying paper clips (or other tangible assets that you can physically touch) but they were buying consulting. And by Newts admission, they didnt even follow his advise so they essentially paid him $3.6 million for nothing.
When Bush tried to increase regulation on Freddie and Fannie, the Dems unanimously blocked the reform. Repubs let it die.
Where was Newt? Was he pushing reform or sitting on the sidelines? If he was on the sidelines, they got their 3.6 million dollars worth.
The hardest part in all these discussions are the personal attacks to the posters.
Are we trying to search for Facts?
I have been called a “non Christian”, sigh...
Net windfall . . . $190 million!
Tim Howard - Was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard was cooking the books. The Government Investigation determined that, "Chief Financial Officer, Tim Howard, failed to provide adequate oversight to key control and reporting functions within Fannie Mae,"
On June 16, 2006, Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., asked the Justice Department to investigate his allegations that two former Fannie Mae executives lied to Congress in October 2004. Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004.
Howard's Golden Parachute was estimated at $20 Million!
Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothersand who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million. Fact it was $21 million." Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae.
Johnson's Golden Parachute was estimated at $28 Million.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
FRANKLIN RAINES? Raines works for the Obama Campaign as his Chief Economic Advisor.
TIM HOWARD? Howard is a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama under Franklin Raines.
JIM JOHNSON? Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.
He said he did hardly any work for the money.
Anyway, maybe he gets paid a salary, and “$35,000” is just the fraction of his salary that represents what fraction of his company’s income came from Freddie and Fannie.
It’s an interesting diversion tactic, saying that since it is the company he owned, and not him “personally” that got the money, it doesn’t count. The problem isn’t how much money he got, it’s a question of what they were buying from his firm.
What expertise did Newt’s company bring to the table that they found valuable enough to pay his company 1.6 million?
If they valued his input, why does Newt say they didn’t take “his advice”?
Why did they pay his company for 10 years if he never told them anything they thought was worth listening to?
I don’t believe that in 10 years, he held a contract with them, they paid him over a million dollars, but in those 10 years they never listened to a word he said.
I also don’t believe they hired his company because he was a good professor of history. That just doesn’t make sense. They needed help lobbying congress, since that is how they made their money, not reaching out to actual customers. That was his expertise — teaching companies how to successfully lobby.
It’s like hiring a weapons expert, who teaches you how to shoot, and then you go out and kill someone. The Weapons Expert argues that he didn’t shoot anybody, which is true, but if he knew why you were learning, it doesn’t make him less culpable.
“Newt never lobbied, was never registered as a lobbyist.”
I keep forgetting - he was hired as a “historian”. I suppose being an ex-Speaker of the House had nothing to do with it. They should’ve gone to the local high school - it would have been a lot cheaper.
Of course his experience as Speaker had something to do with his creation of a consulting firm. He has the right to make a living just like anyone else and use his education, experience to do so...he never lobbyed and was never registered as a lobbyist. He said they did not follow his advice and he wasnt the only consultant they went to...if you begrudge the man working in the private sector..that is your problem. Many others from both parties are on the govt payroll as consultants. Many or most make a lot more than Newt made...btw..WHO is your candidate???
He got paid over $400K a year ($35K/month sounds so benign) to be a consultant, in other words a lobbyist. I don’t begrudge the man making a living, I do begrudge the man for railing against an institution (Freddie Mac) while profitting from it. It’s the hypocracy that bothers me.
BTTT
I see nothing in this video that changes my position.
Did he support reform of Freddie?
Freddie and Fannie are government backed ‘companies’ who are filled with political hacks (mostly Dems) who have gotten rich at the public trough. After they ran these ‘companies’ into the ground, they just left taxpayers with the bill. To me, they all stole the money from the taxpayers. And while it is mostly Dems, Repubs deserve some blame too. Gingrich is just another one of the hired hacks, he just didn’t get paid as much as others.
I believe that like many paid consultants, politicians and former politicians, he chose to continue receiving his check instead for pushing for reform.
To me he is a former politician who was paid to not say anything when Bush was trying to reform Freddie.
Again, I think it was money well spent by Freddie.
“so you think a cashier at Walmart should make as much money as an atty? professional consultant? engineer? that is left wing jive”
Guess you didn’t see the “/S” sarcasm tag...
Did he support reform of Freddie?
He did answer in the video but apparently not to your satisfaction and that is ok.
That means that Newt created 30 jobs!
lol
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