Gingrich Shadowed By Nemesis No. 2 House Democrat Bonior Singlemindedly Hounds Speaker

One thing Newt Gingrich and David Bonior share is a love of science fiction, and they’re playing out their very own version of “Star Wars” in Congress.

But which is the evil Darth Vader and which is the gallant Luke Skywalker? It depends which side you’re on, because both Gingrich and Bonior are revered - or reviled - by opposing partisans.

Ever since Republicans took control of Congress in 1994, elevating Gingrich to speaker of the House, Bonior, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, has relentlessly hounded the Georgian with allegations of ethical lapses.

And while Gingrich won re-election as speaker Tuesday after acknowledging some of those lapses, Bonior’s tireless campaign is hardly over.

“There is an ethical cloud hanging over this House that will only get darker in the days to come,” Bonior warned from the House floor just after Gingrich’s re-election.

Ironically, Bonior himself may have cemented Gingrich’s re-election. The anger of Republicans over Bonior’s crusade helped the GOP rally some wavering members to the speaker’s cause.

“We couldn’t let him win,” Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a Gingrich critic, said of Bonior.

Former Gingrich spokesman Tony Blankley calls him “a cynical fanatic,” “a worm” and “swine.”

And the conservative Landmark Legal Foundation filed a formal ethics complaint against Bonior, accusing him of nepotism.

The complaint charged that the divorced Bonior violated federal law and House rules by hiring Judy Briggs in 1991 when the two were engaged to be married and raised her salary by nearly $8,000 a month later.

The ethics committee dismissed the complaint last May.

Bonior is “so consumed with hatred” for Gingrich that “nothing short of Gingrich’s death will make him rest easy,” said Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga.

“This is not a personal vendetta,” Bonior said after Gingrich’s reelection. “This case goes to the heart of our constitutional system.”

He added: “If we want an America that rewards virtue and punishes wrongdoing, we need to have a Congress that rewards virtue and punishes wrongdoing.”