Mrs. Clinton Invites The Gingriches

As controversy continued to rage over what Newt Gingrich said to his mother about Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first lady Thursday extended an olive branch by inviting the new speaker and his parents to spend a weekend with the Clintons.

The invitation was issued in a personal note given to Gingrich during a meeting with President Clinton and the bipartisan leadership of Congress at the White House.

It was “an extraordinarily gracious” note, said Tony Blankley, Gingrich’s spokesman.

CBS-TV this week reported that Gingrich’s mother, Kathleen, had said in a December interview that her son had called Mrs. Clinton “a bitch.”

Mrs. Gingrich whispered the revelation to Connie Chung after the anchorwoman promised the comments would be “just between you and me.” CBS then publicly released them.