January 25, 2012 4:54 PM

Pelosi: Gingrich presidency "not going to happen"

By
Lucy Madison
Topics
Campaign 2012

Even as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich rises in the Republican presidential polls, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she's confident a Gingrich presidency is "not going to happen."

"Let me just say this. That will never happen. He's not going to be President of the United States," Pelosi told CNN's John King in an interview on Tuesday. "That's not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it: it isn't going to happen."

When pressed on why she was so sure, Pelosi said: "There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him, that's their prerogative. I don't even think that's going to happen."

In a statement, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said Pelosi was not alluding to any confidential knowledge with the comment that knows "something."

"The 'something' Leader Pelosi knows is that Newt Gingrich will not be President of the United States. She made that clear last night," Hammill said. "Leader Pelosi previously made a reference to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware."

The Democratic leader, who served on a four-person ethics committee that investigated Gingrich in the 1990s, has said in the past that "I know a lot about" Gingrich, and that "one of these days we'll have a conversation" about him. But when it was suggested that Pelosi was suggesting in those comments to the possibility of leaking private records from the ethics investigation, Hammill insisted she was referring to "information that is in the public record." 

The committee looked into 84 counts of ethical wrongdoing against Gingrich, and ultimately, they voted to reprimand and fine him for wrongdoing involving breaches of tax law and making misrepresentations to Congress. It's unknown if Pelosi was privy to any confidential information surrounding the ethics investigation, but Gingrich himself has pointed to a 900 page report on the investigation that is available to the public.

In a response to Pelosi in an interview with the radio show "America's Morning News," Gingrich dismissed her comments as "hysterical" and "factually incorrect."

"As my campaign has gotten stronger, the attacks have become more hysterical and more factually incorrect," he said. "I have a simple challenge for speaker Pelosi: to speak up or shut up. I have no idea what she's talking about, I don't think she has any idea what she's talking about. But bring it on."

On CNN, Pelosi also addressed Gingrich's previous comments that appearing in a commercial alongside his former fellow speaker to address climate change was "the dumbest thing I've done in the last four years."

Pelosi said it was hard to quantify what she thought was Gingrich's "dumbest" move, but pointed to his House ethics violation as one of them.

"I think he's done plenty of dumb things and there's stiff competition for what is the dumbest thing he's done, of course, including his violations of the ethics rules of the House of Representatives," she said.


Add a Comment See all 78 Comments
by vageorge January 27, 2012 4:25 PM EST
Anyone that would trust anything Pelosi says is another duped obamacrat. If you cannot see through the agenda of obama, pelosi, and reid you do need take of the blinders and get glasses. Their followers are like a mule with blinders on ..They cannot see anything on either side. just following the obama carrot of lies
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by rileybodeen January 27, 2012 6:02 AM EST
Re: Nancy Pelosi's comment - "Let me just say this. That will never happen. He's (Newt Gingrich) not going to be President of the United States," ... My question is, "If Nancy Pelosi is against him, why aren't all conservatives for him?"
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by senexxx January 27, 2012 12:33 AM EST
I remember the photo of them taking down her office title sign when she lost her spot-great photo.
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by askagain January 26, 2012 6:02 PM EST
How could anyone defend themselves against a person who says she knows something but can't reveal what she knows because documents are sealed? Pelosi is a political enemy of both the Republicans and Gingrich. Unless she can back her statements with evidence, she should not be making these types of statements. In other words, "Take with a grain of salt."
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by smittyc January 26, 2012 4:19 PM EST
Pelosi also predicted the Dems would keep the House last election.
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by lucci123 January 26, 2012 2:34 PM EST
GOP and Mitt Romney said that they understand middle class; however, middle class are the one that make the different on Mitt 13.9 % tax rate, middle class make the different on his tax when he put his money in offshore accounts to avoid paying tax rate here in U.S. Mitt Romney made hundred of million on the back of American workers and now he wants ordinary American people to pay the different on his tax. In fact, he's promoting to the public that when he becomes president, he should pay half of 13.9 % while ordinary American will pay more than today tax rate. Is Mitt Romney and GOP for ordinary American or they are on the side of their elites friends?

Do you know that we borrow China $700 billion dollars a year to pay for super rich tax cut, because this is what the GOP wants? Further, in the eyes of GOP, this $700 billion dollars do not drive federal deficit, but jobs growth. Where are the jobs creations from $700 billion dollars tax cut? According to Newt, we're still affected by 911. Isn't this more than 10 years ago? Apparently, Newt, Mitt, and GOP are still in denial or in a coma. Not too long ago, GOP & Bush brought down the U.S and global economy, and now they're an expert on fixing this?

GOP and Tear Party, please stop pretending like you care about federal deficit when you're the one that drive the federal deficit sky rock--from two wars that unpaid for and borrow $700 billion dollars a year from China to pay for super rich tax cut that they don't need.

Warren Buffett told ABC that his secretary's Debbie works just as hard as he does and she pays twice the rate he pays. He thinks that's outrageous. However, GOP think working people like Debbie tax rate in compare to the super rich is fair. It's like Sadam Hussein saying that he loves his people.
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by dave08836 January 26, 2012 11:49 AM EST
A disproportionate amount of Obama stimilus dollars went as kickbacks to Palosie's district. Not only was this stealing from every American taxpayer, this was also evidence of corruption by the current administration, a lack of transparency by the current aministration on how "stimulus" money was used as kickbacks - yet the liberal media never reported this on this issue.
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by scarlet101 January 26, 2012 9:47 AM EST
Who dug pelosi up out of the dirt after all this time?
As much as I dislike Gingrich, I'd still vote for him over that hopeless change obama.
Mickey Mouse would make a better president than either of them.
Reply to this comment
by Riverjump January 26, 2012 11:24 AM EST
Since you like cartoons so much the repug wanna-be's are right up your alley.
by dave08836 January 26, 2012 11:53 AM EST
I agree Scarlet, as an independent, I am sick of liberals attacking conservatives in order to change the public dialog from real content to stupidity. Liberals (expecially the irresponsible liberal bias media) need to grow up and stop trying to manipulate the independent vote, independents are not as stupid as the liberals might assume.
by HappyDaze66 January 26, 2012 9:47 AM EST
If there were nothing, Newt wouldn't be worried.
http://wwsmith1912.wordpress.com/
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by Lawyers-Guns-n-Money06 January 26, 2012 8:43 AM EST
Meh, Newt just wants to exacerbate the class warfare he and his ilk have been waging.
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