Gingrich: "Dishonesty" marks Romney campaign
(CBS News) Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich today attacked his challenger, Mitt Romney, for what he called a "breathtaking scale of dishonesty" in his presidential campaign.
Gingrich was referring to a video - dated from 2002 and obtained by CBS News - in which Romney boasted about his use of federal dollars for the 2002 Olympic Game sin Salt Lake City.
In the video Romney said, "I'm a believer in getting money where the money is."
Romney, as president of the Salt Lake City Olympics, bragged about obtaining $410 million from the federal government. "That is a huge increase over anything ever done before. We did that by going after every agency of government," he said in the video.
On "Face the Nation" Sunday Gingrich hit Romney hard when Schieffer asked him to respond to the comments.
"He can't close the deal [against Obama] because there's a breathtaking scale of dishonesty underlying the Romney campaign," Gingrich continued. "This (video) is a perfect example."
Gingrich said the problem isn't that Romney sought federal dollars, but that he is trying to portray himself as a Washington outsider.
"What he said was perfectly reasonable: Here's a guy who did a great job going to Washington. He is the consummate insider; he is the establishment candidate. But then he has the gall to turn and attack Santorum and me for doing what he's so proud he did.
"This is the kind of fundamental dishonesty that has just continued to come back and bite the Romney campaign," Gingrich said, indicating it is why Romney is unable to "close the deal" with the American people.
"Eventually all these falsehoods catch up with you." Gingrich said.
"It's really sad. If he had just run as who he really is, he might well get the nomination and he would've gotten it authentically as the person he really is, not the person he's pretending to be."
Gingrich also said the Republican race is far from over. He said he hopes to win Georgia on Tuesday, then carry some Southern states leading into Texas' primary at the end of May and California's in early June.