Speaker Faces New Ethics Charge Complaint Alleges Gopac Secretly Channeled Funds To Gingrich Campaign

Five House Democrats filed a new ethics complaint against Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday, alleging that he violated federal tax and election laws as well as House rules. They said he was “unfit” to serve as speaker of the House.

Based on documents recently released by the Federal Election Commission, the filing thrusts another divisive issue before the House Ethics Committee even as it nears the appointment of a special counsel to look into previous allegations that Gingrich improperly used tax-deductible donations to teach a college course. The scope of that investigation is still the subject of partisan wrangling behind closed doors.

The Democrats made no secret of their hope that the new complaint will pave the way for a special counsel to conduct an unfettered investigation that, they believe, would lead to Gingrich’s downfall.

Citing thousands of pages of documents, the Democrats charged that Gingrich, as head of a political action committee called GOPAC, “led an aggressive strategy designed to circumvent” an array of laws in his rise to power.

Tony Blankley, Gingrich’s spokesman, issued a statement ridiculing the latest allegations and singled out House Minority Whip David E. Bonior, D-Mich., for scorn.

“If Newt had a dog, Bonior would accuse him of kicking it. Well, Newt doesn’t have a dog, and Bonior doesn’t have a case,” Blankley said.

That comment unwittingly evoked memories of the ethics investigation against then-Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas, which was instigated by Gingrich and led to Wright’s 1989 resignation. At the time, Wright said of Gingrich, then a backbench congressman: “My views of him are somewhat similar to those of a fire hydrant toward a dog.”

The new Democratic complaint alleged that Gingrich misused tax-exempt organizations to illegally fund partisan, political activities, including a college course named “Renewing American Civilization,” which was involved in the earlier allegations.

The complaint also charged that under Gingrich’s direction, GOPAC conducted an illicit campaign to elect Republicans to the House - despite a legal prohibition on GOPAC’s involvement in federal elections.

The complaint specifically cited FEC allegations that GOPAC secretly channeled at least $250,000 to Gingrich’s 1990 re-election campaign, which he won by just 974 votes.

Finally, the complaint accused Gingrich of violating federal bribery statutes - a criminal offense - by giving large donors special treatment.

The Democrats cited as “the most blatant example (of) such a quid pro quo” the case of a wealthy GOPAC contributor from Kansas City, Mo., who in 1990 enclosed a $10,000 check with a letter to Gingrich asking for help involving an asbestos problem that his company was encountering with the federal government that was costing the firm “millions and millions of dollars.”

Records show that Gingrich responded by writing a letter on the matter to the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition to Bonior, the other House Democrats who signed the complaint were Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, John Lewis of Georgia, George Miller of California and Patricia Schroeder of Colorado.