A Ventriloquist?

When Gingrich’s signature appeared on a <A HREF="/news_wire/newt/letter2_4.html">letter</a> denying GOPAC involvement with his college course, he initially dodged responsibility. But now we’ve got him <A href="/wp-content/uploads/legacy/news/feature/1997/01/newt.ram">on tape</a>. . .

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


When Newt Gingrich admitted, on December 21, 1996, that he had violated House ethics rules, he initially tried to blame the violation on his lawyer. Gingrich claimed to have signed, but not thoroughly reviewed, a letter to the ethics committee that denied GOPAC’s involvement in funding Kennesaw State College Foundation’s Renewing American Civilization course.

Newt Quote

But this time there’s no chance to pass the buck. The MoJo Wire has obtained a copy of a July 1993 interview with a student reporter at Kennesaw State College, which finds Gingrich again denying, in his own voice, GOPAC’s involvement. And his lawyer was nowhere to be seen…

Hear an audio clip from Gingrich’s interview. You’ll need to download the RealAudio player.

Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate