Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images
Newt Gingrich checking out his reflection in Tampa, Florida on Monday.
Facing renewed criticism from Mitt Romney over his work as "an historian" at Freddie Mac, Newt Gingrich released one of his contracts from the mortgage giant (blamed by some for helping cause/exacerbating the housing crisis). Newt could also be looking to get his story out in front of Romney's planned release of his tax return(s) tomorrow. The contract is for work in the year 2006 at a rate of $25,000 a month with a maximum payment of $300,000 for the year (not too shabby, eh?)
The word "lobbying" does not appear in the contract. But something tells me that's not going to stop Romney's attacks on Gingrich. This is also just one of several contracts Gingrich had with Freddie Mac. He reportedly received over $1.6 million over through 2008.
Newt's decision to release this contract today may also, in part, have something to do with a blistering new ad from the Romney campaign (again, it's from the campaign - not the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future). It is tailor-made for voters in Florida. The ad, which was released yesterday, seeks to rhetorically connect Newt's ethics charges in the House and his work with Freddie Mac. Yeah, ouch.
You can review both the new Romney Campaign ad and Gingrich's Freddie Mac contract below.
YouTube/MittRomney.com
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Seems to be all standard boilerplate with mention of services and deliverables as well as consulting and related services. Related services could be lobbying as easily as historian services.
Who cares. Politicians are all crooks.
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What is a travesty is that a federal agency would issue and sign a contact where we the tax payers pay for nothing. I have written many consulting contracts, where is the statement of work and deliverables? Did anyone have to submit a time card and invoice for hours billed? Hey, its great work if you can get paid for doing nothing, when do I get one of those deals.
The contract, in my opinion does actually make it clear Newt is lobbying. It clearly established the "consultant" will submit all legal needs to back up services, which include "reports filed under the lobbying disclosure act".
Newt was a lobbyist according to this contract.
Not sure about this but it may be that Federal agencies have to advertise projects that will be in the range of dollars paid to Gingrich in the Commerce Business Daily -- at least the review of the CBD was one of my functions in a sales organization bidding on DOE projects and at a long-time contractor and subcontractor in R&D for Navy, Dept of Interior and others. I would love to see the description of the tasks. If it is not required for historians, it should be. I was married once to a would-be historian; I worked and he went to Stanford; then he went to Princeton; then he a changed his major to available women. Today he is not a historian and now has a third wife.