Gingrich on personal life: I've had problems

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Republicans ,; Campaign 2012

Gingrich was asked by Isabel Friedman, president of the Penn Democrats, how he can "reconcile" the "religious values that you so vigorously defend" with his own personal history. As Politico reports, Friedman noted that Gingrich "admitted to having an affair with your current wife while you were still married to your second."

As you can see in the video, shot by a member of the audience, a peeved-sounding Gingrich tried to cut Friedman off, stating, "I'll bet almost everybody here can gather the thrust of your question...I hope you feel better about yourself."

The former speaker eventually addressed the question, however:

"I will be totally candid. I've had a life which, on occasion, has had problems," he said. "I believe in a forgiving God, and the American people will have to decide whether that's their primary concern."

"If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant," Gingrich continued. He went on to say that he is "happy" to have a debate about the future.

Gingrich has admitted he conducted an extramarital affair at the same time he was one of the GOP's most vocal critics of then-President Clinton for his involvement with Monica Lewinsky. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards," he said in 2007. "There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards." Gingrich said at the time there was a difference between his conduct and Mr. Clinton's because Mr. Clinton had perjured himself.

Gingrich is now married to the woman with whom he had that affair, Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide 20 years his junior. Gingrich divorced his first wife, Jackie Battley, in 1981; according to Battley, Gingrich discussed the divorce with her while she was in the hospital recovering following cancer surgery. His second wife, Marianne Gingrich, says Gingrich asked her to marry him before he divorced Battley.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by thebob-bob February 25, 2011 12:28 PM EST: What's with Republicans and their attempts to constantly re-write history? The Civil War was about States rights, Raygun took down Communism, there were WMDs in Iraq. There's a sky ghost who had a son who was made real, then died and then came back and you can talk to him. They just make this stuff up and then insist that you do too!; Reply to this comment

by DinahCancer February 24, 2011 12:56 PM EST

You want a real "family values" politician? A Christian who loves his wife and is devoted to his children? He's currently serving the White House. And he's staying.

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by thebob-bob February 25, 2011 2:09 PM EST: Amen!


by actornaught February 24, 2011 12:19 PM EST: The Disgraced, Lying Scumbag newt. Just sayin'.

By the way, if you think newt somehow was involved with balancing the budget as more than a supporting character, you've been punked.

Clinton had higher taxes on the wealthy, and reduced the Pentagon budget (remember Base Closings?), neither of which revisionist foxrush media wants to tell you.; Reply to this comment

by PennParent2013 February 24, 2011 9:39 AM EST

The 2% of Penn students out of the entire auditorium that were there to heckle Newt ought to be ashamed. If she were my daughter, I'd stop paying her tuition. Newt was the architect of Clinton's balanced budget and actually the budget surplus. He had the bravery to come to a liberal campus to discuss contemporary issues and a way to "break out" of the economic hole that continues to be deepened, yet all the heckler wanted to do is dredge up dirt. She even tried to quote scripture when she should have said something like "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." I'm sure she's far from qualifying as being able to cast a stone at Newt. If he runs, I'll certainly offset her vote. What was she, 5 years old when he balanced the Clinton budget? Her parents likely couldn't afford her education without Newt having been in Congress. She typifies the reason why we don't have bipartisanship in this country and why (in answer to Newt's question to the audience) the best of America's days might be behind us (unless we counter votes from people like her with those who want to look forward to better days).

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by Bisk1 February 24, 2011 11:30 AM EST: How dare you determine what sort of questions can be asked Repugs ?? ...... You must still think the POTUS Obama was not born here - right ??? Dumb Dumb Repugs !!


by san850 February 24, 2011 5:30 PM EST: Just like Palin...Newt only wants "softball" questions and gets fiercely angry, arrogant, and defensive if anyone dare ask a question that he doesn't approve of. Guess what Newt...a President has to take the hard questions as well as the easy ones. You could never last.


by euge005 February 24, 2011 6:34 AM EST: And this may well be the best the GOP has to offer. How sad and shameful that they even allow a hypocrite like this to speak on any of their forums. Even McCain as bad as he has conducted his life did not try to present his views as a moral road map, well except on military or middle eastern policy. THis moral failure seems to be based on the belief that women are objects that are rewards for obtaining money or power, not really people. Very Taliban of the GOP.; Reply to this comment


by ghostgirl56 February 23, 2011 8:34 PM EST: How do you spell HYPOCRITE? But it's okay, really, because he didn't perjure himself. What a pompous ass, truly representative of his party.; Reply to this comment

by Riverjump February 23, 2011 6:54 PM EST

Holier than thou? Not so much eh Newt? Newt? That short for Newton or did his parents just like salamanders?

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by Bisk1 February 24, 2011 11:30 AM EST: salamanders ......


by slatep February 23, 2011 4:55 PM EST: YOU THINK.!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by san850 February 23, 2011 4:28 PM EST: Newt has had problems alright...and they don't all involve his wives. Surely he knows that he has too much baggage and dirty laundry to be running for President.

He loves playing a well thought out, deliberate racial game about as ugly as you can imagine and loves referring to President Obama as a "con artist" Kenyan (his code word for "black person"). If anyone can speak with authority on a political con, it's Newt Gingrich -- a twice-divorced serial adulterer who dares to moralize about the meaning of truthfulness, Christianity and family values.

Many think Newt is certifiably insane. You give Newt too much credit to call him "insane" though. That would excuse him from responsibility for his venomous lies and cynical slanders. Newt is a shameless publicity wh@re who will say or do anything for attention, and who knows the kind of red meat that his base of fans like to devour. So he'll talk like a Jew-baiting Nazi, substituting the terms "Muslim" and "Kenyan" for "Jew" and "Gypsy" if that's what it takes to fire up the crowd into a frenzy.

Bottom line: he's as sick as they come.; Reply to this comment


by run2jazz2 February 23, 2011 4:26 PM EST: Newt want forgiveness while displaying none to his detractor. He does not have to worry about being President since his arrogance will keep him on the sideline. I am sure those "Tea Party" radicals will let him know what he can do with his nomination!; Reply to this comment