Romney to Gingrich: Return Freddie Mac money

AP Photo

Mitt Romney on Monday called on Newt Gingrich to return the $1.6-plus million he was paid by government-backed mortgage giant Freddie Mac, which many conservatives say played a significant role in causing the 2008 financial crisis.

Asked if Gingrich should "give that money back" during an appearance on Fox News, Romney responded, "I sure do."

"He was on a debate saying that politicians who took money from Freddie and Fannie should go to jail, which is outrageous in itself but look, he says he was in the consulting business," said Romney. "That's very different than the consulting business other people have been in. He was in the business of connecting folks with government. He was on K Street. This was a connection with government kind of business. It's very different than the private sector."

Added the former Massachusetts governor: "One of the things that I think that people recognize in Washington is that people go there to serve the people and then they stay there to serve themselves. And contacts in Washington, working for Freddie Mac, getting paid $1.6 million. By the way, a very different number than he said in the first debate, he said $300,000 and he was there as an historian. That would make him the highest paid historian in history. Look, this whole Washington crowd of insiders that stay there, get paid a lot of money there because of their associations, I think it's something the American people are tired of."

Gingrich hit back hard when asked about the comments in a media availability shortly afterward.

"I love the way he and his consultants do these things," he said. "I would just say that if Gov. Romney would like to give back all of the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years at Bain, that I would be glad to listen to him. And I bet you $10 -- not $10,000 -- that he won't take the offer."

Gingrich - who claimed just yesterday that he will not engage in negative attacks, vowing that his "campaign will be relentlessly positive" - took two shots at Romney in this comment. One was over his eyebrow-raising offer of a $10,000 bet during Saturday night's debate, which critics immediately used to cast the wealthy former Massachusetts governor as out of touch with average Americans. The other echoed an Obama campaign criticism of Romney's former company Bain Capital, which took over struggling companies and sometimes laid off workers while trying to get them on firmer financial footing.

Romney's initial comments refer in part to Gingrich's remarks in a November debate, when Gingrich was asked about being paid $300,000 by Freddie Mac. (It was later reported he was paid at least $1.6 million by the company.)

Gingrich said last month that he offered his "advice as a historian" for the money, though he is widely believed to have been paid the money to help the company's cause on Capitol Hill. (He also claimed he told the company its business model was "insane," a characterization challenged by those Freddie Mac executives who worked with him.) Gingrich called himself a strategic adviser to the group; as NPR reports, "strategic advisor is the job title of choice for former members of Congress who tell lobbyists what to do, but want to avoid the public disclosure required for registered lobbyists themselves."

With reporting by Sarah Huisenga.

Special report: Election 2012

[wdh3007]

Here you go Mutt here's 10,000 dollars of Freddie Mack Money that I legally earned while once employed there and I didn't even have to bet!

[janeteleanor]

I suggest CBS and others demand ALL THE MONEY OBAMA RECEIVED FROM FREDDIE MAC, ETC.. Apparently NO ONE HAS THE "COHONES" TO DEMAND THAT FROM OBAMA.

[TJphoto]

Has anyone even notice that 3 months ago when Mr. Gingrich was at the bottom of the polling no one gave him a second thought much less anything verbal. The # 2 and #3 will say and do anything to knock off # 1. There is nothing positive out there, only the smears and the lies. I don't agree with President Obama on most issues, but the bottom line...Whoever gets the nomination, the President is still going to be the smartest guy in the room. Good Luck!

[wdh3007]

That's a scary thought because if we all have to indure this fraudster for four more years then America is truly FINISHED! When a roll of toilet paper is more valuable and worth more than the currency we can all sit back and remember the great Obama was on watch as president!

[Giarretti]

Romney is a hypocritical piece of chit. Typical liberal masquerading as a Republican. He has bankrupted dozens of companies and cost hundreds of jobs but he wants to tell Gingrich to give back the 1.6 million he took in over 7-8 years? Why isn't he telling Clinton to give back the $50,000/month he was getting from Corzine and MF Global. You know the company that can't find 1.2 billion of it's customers money. People need to do a little more research into this upstanding Mormon who forgets gambling is against his religion.

[poyman-2009]

Ahhhh, the last sentence kind of really tells us who you really are.... You're a common garden variety bigot and a typical representative of your voting block....

The piece of chit in this situation is Mr. Fleece himself, the Godfather of Hypocrisy, the one and only Newt Gingrich.... Most people already know that about him and they know that you and your buddies are simply desperate to keep a Mormon out of the WH, even if it means supporting a slimeball like Gingrich and his 45 year old Trophy Wife.... Gingrich whining about the LBO business is something that you would expect from Shumer or Derbin or Reid, certainly not a GOP Presidential Candidate.... Next we are going to hear him sympathizing with the Occupy Wall Street folks....

Yep, you got yourself a real doozy in Mr. Gingrich.... He is one trick pony, he's a good debater.... Take that away he is Loser with a capital "L".

[train99]

Change we don't have to believe in.
Just any change from Obama's okay with me.
Look, we're talking about nearly five more years of this. I don't think we can survive it.

[2happy2ride]

All I know, if I had to hire a CEO to run my family business, on which I would be financially dependent and my selections were the candidates plus the current president. I would have to hand the reins to Mitt Romney.
Balancing a budget of a democratic state is big, salvaging the Olympics was monumental and succeeding in business is tough.
Experience & character DO count, gaffs and insignificant mistakes don't.

[bobkat258]

They're all crooks. Only one thing right about this article: the American people are DEFINATELY tired of it.

[RunsWithWolves]

Bottom line is both these guys are Republican crooks. Huntsman is the only one who is really smart enough and moderate enough to mount a realistic challenge to Obama.

[daffy64]

And I bet you $10 -- not $10,000 -- that he won't take the offer."

What is with these two "Christians" gambling so much? What's next? "Bet you a trip to the hooker"?

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

This GOP stuff just keeps getting better everyday. By the time August 27, 2012 rolls around they will be so disorganized and at each other throats and then comes the call for "unity".