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Demos Fail To Force Release Of Gingrich Ethics Report But They Hope To Use Roll-Call Vote Results As Tool In Elections

Sam Fulwood Los Angeles Times

House Republicans Thursday fended off a Democratic effort to force disclosure of a preliminary report on alleged ethics violations by Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

The 225-179 vote, split largely along party lines, killed a measure that would have required immediate public disclosure of a special counsel’s initial findings in a two-year investigation of Gingrich’s use of a tax-exempt, non-profit foundation to finance a college course that he taught in Georgia. Critics and political opponents argued that Gingrich acted improperly by using the money because the course was more politically partisan than educational.

While no one expected the measure - offered by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. - to clear the House, Democrats pushed for the roll-call vote to compel GOP incumbents into a vote of support for Gingrich, who polls show is unpopular among many voters.

James Cole, the committee’s special counsel, last month delivered a preliminary report to the Ethics Committee, which has not been publicly released.

House Minority Whip David E. Bonior, D-Mich., said at a news conference before the vote that Democrats wanted the results of the partial report revealed before election day on Nov. 5. Failing that, he said, Democrats will use the House vote as a tool in races against GOP candidates who voted to keep the report from being made public.

Gingrich spokesman Tony Blankley said the Democratic move was part of “the ongoing and desperate actions of a small band of Democrats who have abused the ethics process by filing one baseless claim after another” against the speaker.

Democrats countered that Gingrich used the same tactic to undermine former House Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas.

Republicans demonstrated their pique Thursday by forcing a tit-for-tat vote on a measure calling for the appointment of an outside counsel to investigate real estate deals by House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt, D-Mo. That resolution was rejected, 395-9.