Washington (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich carried a revolving charge account between $250,001 and $500,000 in 2005 and 2006 for the high-end Tiffany & Co. jewelry store when his wife worked as a congressional staffer, according to public records.
The liability was reported in Callista Gingrich's financial disclosure forms filed in 2006 and 2007 covering activity from 2005 and 2006. Her job on the House Agriculture Committee ended on Jan. 1, 2007. As a high-level congressional employee, Callista Gingrich was required each year to file such a form detailing her personal finances from the preceding year.
Liabilities over $10,000 to any one creditor by the employee or his or her spouse during employment must be reported if the balance exceeded $10,000 at the end of the year. In this case, the Tiffany's liability was listed on the form as belonging to her husband.
Gingrich resigned as speaker in 1999 and was not required to file ethics paperwork as a private citizen.
Since he filed last week as a presidential candidate, he will have to submit his own disclosure form within 30 days.
In her 2007 form, Gingrich's wife reported the couple had assets totaling between $1.1 million and $2.7 million.
A Gingrich spokesman would not comment on the issue.
Though the reports have been publicly available for years, Politico was the first to discover and report the existence of the Tiffany's liability.
From CNN Politics
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Well, what did we expect? He was trying to politically ruin then President Clinton, while carry on his own affairs. What a hypocrite? He says he found "God". My question is did God want him to find God? Let me quote the Bible, let he who is without sin, cast the first stone? OK Gingrich, are you willing to cast the first stone?
This isn't illegal but it does whiff of another mistress, doesn't it? If that's the way you get him Calista, then that's way you'll lose him.
@ Don...... You are beyond help.
My wedding ring, arriving about 21 years after our wedding date, was $600.00. That's six hundred – just six hundred. Natural pink sapphire with two rows of pave diamonds on clearance. Newt should try it.
cabbage patch doll head
God wanted him to spend millions at Tiffany! it was for the love of marriage AND country!
P.S. Don't forget Newt is "Mr. Physical Conservative".
Another GOP Man of the People. Hey Don, you apparently found this newsworthy enough to read it and comment on it. Believe me, if a Democrat was carrying a $500,000 tab for jewelry he bought for his mistress turned 3rd wife, FOX would be all over it. Michelle Obama is the First Lady of the United States which entitles her to a "lavish" lifestyle in the White House. Most Republicans just can't seem to get past the fact that a Black man is living in the white house and he's not serving coffee to white men and his Black wife isn't cleaning up afterward. I haven't forgotten the screams from the right when they had their panties in a twist over our President taking his wife to New York for dinner and a show. Let's see how Newt's charitable contributions stack up against the Obama's.
Don – Michelle didn't get her bling by sleeping with the sleaziest Republican in American History. Newt will leave her when he finds someone without concrete hair.
You're toast Mr. Ex-Speaker.
I remember so well admiring this clown during the hearing about Iran Contra when he defended LTC Oliver North. It was not until later that I figured out that North is a crook and that Gingrich is his enabler. Shame on me for figuring this out too late.
@Don,
I am soooo sorry that you feel that CNN is destroying Gingrich. Do we conveniently forget that Fixed News has "systematically destroyed President Obama?" Shame on you.
Let's see, if you can carry that amount on a Tiffany's revolving charge, what group of Americans do you think the Newt will be out to help? The poor? Noooooooo, try again. The middle class? Nooooooooo, try again. The rich? Maybe, depends on how you define rich. The wealthy? CORRECT!! Why would he care if you and I can afford health care or anything else for that matter. Another old white guy out to make his friends wealthier along with taking away womens rights.
So this is a bigger deal than raising the question as to whether or not Obama is a natural born citizen??? And after 2 years of inquiries made by the media and private outlets, he finally presents a birth certificate....and....for something that would normally be public record for anyone to see, he spent $2 Million to fight exposing the truth!! Talk about clarity!! So he had a Credit Card with Tiffany's!!! I guarantee everyone posting on could take a look at their own credit report and see NUMEROUS revolving accounts!! He makes a lot of money....why wouldn't he spend it on things he wants???
#DON: Gingrich has already self-destructed and he needs no help from CNN. You will be waiting a long time for
anything close to this gluteonous extravaganza. I'm sure the Obamas are more concerned about educating their
children than "bling". After all, Mrs Obama is a natural beauty. Some have it, some need bling.
According to Reagonomics some of the Gringich wealth should trickle down to the working poor. Maybe they need a bigger tax cut to buy more jewelry from Tiffany.
Typical, "do as I say, don't do as I do" GOPer..... To all my friends on the right, how does it feel that these republicans continue to spend your money and use your votes to fund their extravegant lifestyles? Their policies keep you down, under the veil of some moral obligations...
So he has somewhere between 10% and 50% of his personal assets tied up in Tiffany's jewelry. And he thinks he is presidential material? As another former Repub president once said "Wouldn't be prudent" for Gingrich to be in charge of his own household finances let alone a multi-trillion dollar budget.
@ Don..
sorry to bust your bubble there man but Mrs. Obama has already been on talk shows and showed she shops at places like JC Penny and other stores that regular people shop. Besides if she DID have a lavish lifestyle it's because she worked before she became first lady, sold a book and had a 6 figure salary. People like you tend to forget she did have a career before 2008.
Must be rough being a womanizer. That's rich he held hearings on impeaching Clinton, while Gingrinch himself was getting busy with diamond rings for the women he cheated on – behind his wife's back.
@aatami: I couldn't agree more!
It used to be called a "little black book" but in Newt's case, it is a revolving credit limit for a quarter of million dollar account at Tiffany's.
Call it whatever, but newt is still indulging in the oldest profession known to man, he just uses diamonds as payment.
That would explain all the ladies attraction to his sexual "charisma"!.
And is that bipedal cadaver his latest victim?
don I think you will be waiting a long time because Mrs. obama is nothing like newt and wife.
@Lost in Texas FOREVER: I also remember Michelle Obama lamenting that she wouldn't be able to shop at Target anymore because of the high profile as (then) a candidate's wife. She also likes J Crew, which is nice but modest.
I can imagine this had happened to a Clinton or Obama how Gingrich would have vilified them as extreme left wing extravagant.
SLEAZE......... typical REPUKE