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 declared that "we've already won" the Iran war, raising eyebrows with critics.

Trump over the weekend took to Truth Social, his own social media network, to rebuke a longtime US ally. At the same time, Trump prematurely declared victory in the Middle East firefight.

"The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East," Trump wrote. "That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Those comments caused an instant backlash on X on Saturday.

Ex-GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger said, "Trump is no kidding the stupidest, dumba--est idiot to ever be president. And he’s a baby. I mean such a thin skinned little boy."

PatriotTakes, which tracks right-wing extremism, added, "Trump calls his war in Iran a war that he has already won. Meanwhile, his MAGA defenders in Congress claim it is not a war."

The Tennessee Holler said, "Trump tries to humiliate Starmer for joining his bad war 'after we’ve already won.'"

"Won what? The 'mission accomplished' vibes are strong — easy to say you 'won' when nobody knows what you were playing for," the account added. "And [Starmer] learning Trump will always drive the bus over you."

DD Geopolitics also weighed in, saying simply, "Trump publicly humiliating the UK on Truth Social for hesitating to join the war. 'We don't need them any longer, But we will remember. We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!' 'Already won.' Bases burning across six countries. THAAD radars destroyed. Hormuz closed. Soldiers medevacked home in the dark. 'Six' dead in Kuwait. Oil markets in freefall."

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A government watchdog group is urging federal regulators to investigate a series of suspiciously timed bets placed on prediction markets shortly before the Trump administration’s military actions against Iran. In a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Public Citizen said several large wagers were made in the hours leading up to the February 28 attack, sharply shifting the odds on outcomes tied to Iran’s leadership.

According to reports, some anonymous bettors reaped six-figure profits on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi after correctly predicting developments tied to the conflict. One account reportedly made more than $553,000 shortly before Iran’s supreme leader was killed in an Israeli strike, while crypto analytics firm Bubblemaps identified multiple users who collectively earned about $1.2 million betting on the timing of U.S. strikes.

Public Citizen is asking regulators to determine whether any bettors had insider knowledge of the military plans. The issue has also drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, with Sen. Chris Murphy calling the situation “insane” and pledging to introduce legislation to ban political prediction betting tied to events like war.

The controversy comes as the Trump family and administration maintain close ties to the rapidly growing prediction-market industry, raising questions about oversight and the potential for misuse of sensitive government information.

Watch the video here:

Suspicious last-minute bets on Trump’s Iran strike trigger investigation calls

The death of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein must be re-investigated in the wake of a "troubling" new report, according to a congressman over the weekend.

A new report on Saturday revealed that a prison guard responsible for checking in Epstein was tied to a "mysterious cash deposit" and an incriminating Google search. The New York Post dropped an article called, "Epstein prison guard googled him minutes before body found — and made mysterious deposit before pedophile’s suicide: DOJ," in which the outlet reported, "One of Jeffrey Epstein’s prison guards googled the sex predator minutes before he was found dead — and also made a mysterious $5,000 cash deposit 10 days before the predator’s jail-cell suicide, new Department of Justice documents reveal."

That report struck a chord with Dem lawmaker Ted Lieu, who demanded a new investigation to determine the cause of Epstein's death.

"The number of troubling 'coincidences' keeps piling up regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein," he wrote on X. "The investigation into Epstein’s death must be reopened and conducted by an independent entity, instead of by people who work under a giant banner of Trump’s face."

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