Here's how much Newt Gingrich's defunct presidential campaign still owes creditors

All hail Newt Gingrich — still the king of presidential campaign debt.

Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign committee continues to owe creditors more than $4.63 million, according to new financial documents filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission.

No other presidential campaign committee from any past election cycle owes more.

Gingrich's committee debt has largely remained the same for the past decade, with dozens of campaign vendors who haven't been made whole.

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Comcast, FedEx, X (formerly Twitter) and a consulting company run by another former Republican presidential candidate — Herman Cain, who died in 2020 of COVID-19 — are among Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign creditors. Gingrich's campaign committee also owes money to Gingrich himself as well as the committee's treasurer, Taylor Swindle.

Gingrich is not personally liable for his campaign committee's debts, per federal law. But he could personally help his campaign pay off debts if he wanted, either using his own money or raising money from others.

Has he? No.

The former U.S. House speaker, who won just two states en route to placing fourth in the 2012 GOP presidential primary, has done little to settle the debts of a campaign committee that bears his name — "Newt 2012". Gingrich's old committee has just $179.61 cash on hand as of Sept. 30.

That hasn't stopped Gingrich from criticizing what he considers the irresponsible spending practices of other politicians.

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"The nation is currently $31.4 trillion in the red," Gingrich wrote in a February opinion article published in the Daily Mail. "Astonishingly, by 2025, interest on the debt may be a larger budget item than the entire U.S. Department of Defense. In the 2022 fiscal year, $475 billion was consumed by interest payments. That's nearly as much as the $677 billion spent on education and more than is spent on veterans' benefits and transportation — combined. A balanced budget — the novel concept of not spending more than is collected in revenue – can save the nation from this fiscal insanity."

"But it won't be easy to get there. I know what it takes," Gingrich added.

"We're deeply committed to lower spending, not higher spending," Gingrich said of Republicans during an interview on Fox Business in May.

A representative for Gingrich could not be reached for comment.

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Despite his old campaign committee's insolvency, Gingrich continues to rank among the Republican Party's favorite fundraising surrogates.

He frequently sends solicitations to conservative donors on behalf of political committees such as the Republican National Committee and GOP candidates including former President Donald Trump, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker of Georgia.

"When the clock struck midnight last night, House Republicans were still well short of their huge 3rd quarter goal! I don’t want to lie, so I’ll be blunt. This is a disaster," Gingrich wrote on Sept. 29 on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Please help us, Friend. We need your support!"

This article originally appeared on July 14, 2023, and has been updated to include new financial details and developments.


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Donald Trump on Saturday bragged about "ending eight wars," but observers were quick to remind him he doesn't get credit for halting wars he began.

The president over the weekend spoke at a Shield of the Americas event, where he started by talking about the U.S. military's firepower.

"The new ship is 100 times more powerful," he said. "We're building 10 of them."

The president then added, "They'll say, 'Oh, he's very militaristic.' I'm the one that ended eight wars. And we have another one coming, I think."

That comment didn't sit well with numerous political analysts, including conservative commentator Tim Nichols. He shared the quote from Trump along with an image saying, "He's quite mad, you know."

A popular influencer and registered nurse who goes by Jacquie_RN said, "He’s gonna end 9 wars soon."

"The war of dementia versus drug addiction In his own body And neither’s gonna win .. we are," she added.

Former journalist Alice Williams chimed in, "So let me get this straight: after our bases get hit and thousands of people pay the price, Trump still calls himself the guy who 'ended wars.' That’s a bold definition of ending them."

Former Navy wife Rebecca Clester added, "The never ending bragging, the delusions of grandeur, the promises he makes & never keeps & the crimes he's committing while in office have become intolerable. We deserve better leadership America."

Journalist Nancy Levine Stearns tagged Speaker Mike Johnson on X, writing to him, "Stop the murder."

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Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin’s declining fortunes have taken a major turn for the better because Donald Trump’s war on Iran has given the staggering Russian economy a shot in the arm as oil prices lurch upward.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian crude that was languishing unsold just days ago has become a hot commodity. The U.S. has eased sanctions on Russian oil, opening the door for key buyers to increase purchases. With oil and natural gas prices surging, Russian producers are reaping substantial profits.

The shift is already visible in global markets. In India, traders who previously demanded steep discounts to purchase Russian oil are now attempting to sell at prices above global benchmarks—a dramatic reversal.

"The longer that this conflict goes on, the world will increasingly rely on both Russian crude oil and Russian refined products," said Naveen Das, senior crude analyst at Kpler.

Emboldened by his suddenly improved fortunes, Putin has grown more aggressive with "renewed swagger' on the global energy stage. He has threatened to cut off remaining energy supplies to Europe before the continent's deadline to eliminate Russian LNG and pipeline gas imports by 2027.

"Other markets are opening now," Putin declared on state television Wednesday. "If they shut us down in a month or two, wouldn't it be better to stop now and move to those countries that are reliable partners?"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that the Iran conflict has directly fueled demand for Russian energy products.

Global benchmark Brent crude has surged nearly 30 percent since the attacks began. While higher prices normally benefit all oil producers, disruption in the Gulf has crippled Russia's primary competitors in that region, leaving Moscow uniquely positioned to capitalize on the crisis.

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The White House has blocked the release of a joint intelligence bulletin warning state and local authorities of elevated terror threats stemming from Trump's military assault on Iran, according to the Daily Mail.

A five-page report compiled by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center was scheduled for Friday release but has been indefinitely held up by Trump officials.

The classified bulletin detailed "elevated threats by the government of Iran to US military and government personnel and facilities, Jewish and Israeli institutions and their perceived supporters, and Iranian dissidents and other anti-regime activists in the United States."

Titled "A Public Safety Awareness Report: Elevated threat in the United States during US-Iran conflict," the document warned: "Radicalized individuals with a variety of ideological backgrounds also may see this conflict or other geopolitical events as a justification for violence."

The five-page assessment provided specific operational details on how Iranian proxies could execute attacks across the country, along with guidance for local law enforcement response protocols.

Homeland Security broke protocol by alerting the White House hours before the bulletin's scheduled release. Trump officials immediately ordered it placed on hold.

The White House did not deny the suppression. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson offered a defensive explanation: "The White House is coordinating closely with all government agencies to ensure information being disseminated is accurate, up to date, and has been properly vetted — even if that means taking additional time to review to ensure nothing is done in a vacuum."

A senior DHS official directly contradicted the White House account, stating: "The three [agencies] were going to release a joint intelligence statement that would elevate the threat level and start addressing the Iranian threat on American soil. The White House stopped it, and verbalized down to DHS that any unclassified 'for official use only' information going forward concerning Iran has to be reviewed by the White House before any dissemination."

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