New Romney ad attacks Gingrich on Freddie Mac

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign released a new ad Monday, slamming Newt Gingrich on his alleged multi-million dollar payout from Freddie Mac, casting a shadow over the run up to next Tuesday's primary in the Sunshine State.

"While Florida families lost everything in the housing crisis, Newt Gingrich cashed in," a narrator says in ad, which charges that the former House speaker was paid more than $1.6 million in a contract with the housing lender. Up to this point, the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future has taken the lead attacking Gingrich, but this ad was sponsored directly by the Romney campaign.

The Romney campaign has called on Gingrich to release details of a contract between his company, The Center for Health Transformation, and Freddie Mac. Gingrich said Monday on ABC's Good Morning America that he was "very comfortable" with the records being released and defended the work he did for Freddie Mac.

"I did no lobbying - period," Gingrich said. "[Romney] keeps using the word 'lobbyist,' because I'm sure his consultants tell him it scores well [with the public]. It's not true. He knows it's not true. He deliberately is saying things he knows are false."

Gingrich quickly turned the spotlight back on Romney, saying, "Here is somebody who has released none of his business records, who has decided to take a stand on transparency without being transparent."

As he looks to capitalize on his victory Saturday in South Carolina, Gingrich said he would remain positive and offer Florida voters a clear picture of his platform.

"I think the people of Florida will prefer big solutions to small negative attacks," he said. Later in Tampa, Gingrich shrugged off Romney's attacks as "desperate."

Romney slams Gingrich as "highly erratic"
Gingrich shrugs off "desperate" Romney attacks