Gingrich gets 45-day extension on disclosing personal finances

Republican presidential aspirant Newt Gingrich has received a 45-day extension of the Federal Election Commission deadline for filing his personal financial disclosure form. This gives him until July 25 to submit the disclosure, which would normally have been due this Friday, 30 days after Gingrich announced his candidacy.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Gingrich's lawyer argued that the delay was needed to "afford the candidate sufficient time to ensure complete accuracy of the resulting filing."

Gingrich's disclosure is expected to shed light on the complex -- and highly lucrative -- network of business ventures and book deals he has established over the last dozen years since leaving Congress.

"The mix of for-profit and non-profit organizations, with varying disclosure requirements, has shrouded the amount of money Gingrich earns from his projects," the Chronicle explains. "The complexity of his enterprises and the time needed to legally separate from them to run for president was the primary reason cited by then-spokesman Rick Tyler for Gingrich's decision in March to postpone his announcement that he would run."

Gingrich is presently suffering from the mass resignation yesterday of his top campaign staff, and it is unclear how this delay will affect his prospects. He has a statement up on Facebook, however, insisting that he is still "committed" to his campaign.