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

ALSO READ: Massive Ivanka Trump problem triggers existential threat to GOP: 'Rage is building'

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.

ALSO READ: Lawmakers, law breakers: 26 members of Congress have violated a federal conflicts-of-interest law

"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.

ALSO READ: Trump owes money to media outlets and Secret Service — after not paying his bills: report

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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Judge punts James Comey trial to 2027 with 'true threat' challenge 'ripe for decision'

A federal judge pushed James Comey's arraignment and trial into 2027 while his motions to throw out the case still await a ruling.

U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan granted the delay in an order filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The order moves the former FBI director's arraignment to January 2027. Comey had asked for trial sometime in February 2027, and Flanagan wrote that the court will set a trial date and filing deadlines after the arraignment if he pleads not guilty.

Comey filed the request on September 14 and waived his speedy trial rights to get it. According to the order, the government did not oppose the motion.

Comey was indicted in April on charges of threatening President Donald Trump and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. The charges stem from a May 2025 Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell "86 47," which prosecutors say amounted to a threat against the president. Comey has denied the charges.

The delay leaves four defense motions from late July hanging over the case. Comey is seeking to dismiss the indictment for lack of a "true threat" and for "vindictive and selective prosecution." He has also asked the court to disclose grand jury proceedings and to suppress evidence. That last motion comes with a request for a Franks hearing, which lets a defendant challenge the truthfulness of statements used to obtain a search warrant.

"Protracted briefing ensued," Flanagan wrote. "The motions now are ripe for decision."

Under federal law, a judge can pause the speedy trial clock if the "ends of justice" served by a delay outweigh the interest of the public and the defendant in a quick trial. Flanagan found that standard was met.

"The gravity of the charges, pending motions, and the need to provide defense counsel additional time to prepare for trial promote need for continuance," she wrote.

The judge noted that prosecutors had been prepared to go forward on the existing timeline. Still, she read their lack of opposition as a concession.

"While ready to adhere to the current schedule, implicit in the government's reported statement of no opposition here is its agreement that the ends of justice served by this continuance, for direct benefit of defendant, outweigh the interests of the public in a speedy trial," Flanagan wrote.

This is the second time the schedule has slipped. After Comey waived his initial appearance in the district, the court set his arraignment for June 30 and his trial for July 15. Flanagan later granted an earlier unopposed request, which moved the arraignment to September 30 and the trial to October 21.

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Don Jr.'s ex turned MAGA ambassador shills for client of lobbyist she drags around: WSJ

Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancée has used her ambassadorship to promote one foreign firm while keeping its paid lobbyist at her side.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, whom President Donald Trump named ambassador to Greece, has repeatedly pressed Balkan governments to work with Aktor Group, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Aktor is a Greek construction company that only recently moved into the natural gas business.

Christos Marafatsos, who lobbies for the firm, has joined Guilfoyle at so many meetings that some foreign officials took him for her chief of staff.

Federal lobbying records show Aktor paid Marafatsos $160,000 through June to build ties with the White House and the State and Energy departments. Several people who met with the pair, including government officials, told The Journal he never disclosed his work for the company.

This spring, Guilfoyle arrived in Bulgaria on a private jet provided by Aktor's CEO and urged officials there to do business with the company.

"There is no doubt that this is kind of an official position of the U.S. government," a person familiar with the talks told The Journal.

Robin Brooks, who oversaw the Balkans on the National Security Council under former President Joe Biden, called an ambassador promoting a foreign company "absolutely problematic." Bringing a registered lobbyist into meetings with foreign officials, she said, "calls into question whether the meeting is advancing American interests or advancing some sort of private interest."

Guilfoyle's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said she has "worked with companies across the energy sector" and that her official meetings are arranged through embassy channels rather than through Marafatsos. Lawyers for Aktor said the company's involvement began before it had any contact with the ambassador.

"I am proud to champion commercial initiatives that advance U.S. interests and create lasting economic opportunity in Greece and Southeastern Europe," Marafatsos said in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Guilfoyle an "incredibly effective advocate for the President's agenda."

Pete Hegseth's 'thinly veiled' campaign message for troops sparks fury: 'Absolute monster'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a message to armed services members in blue cities that's prompting outcry about bringing politics into his role.

On Friday, Hegseth posted a video to his official Secretary of War X account with the headline, "TO OUR WARRIORS—MAKE SURE TO VOTE!" However, online critics pointed out that the defense secretary shouldn't be involved in political activities per the Hatch Act and noticed the language Hegseth used.

Headquarters, a popular news account on X, described Hegseth as delivering a "thinly veiled campaign message to US service members, ordering them to vote in the midterms to overwhelm blue cities like Milwaukee and Detroit" and highlighted that he signed off by saying, "Keep our nation the land of the free!"

"The desperation of this absolute monster is frightening," warned disinformation expert and Kash Patel foe Jim Stewartson. "He is destroying the military piece by piece."

"Hegseth is incredibly unethical and needs help," decried veteran political strategist Donna Brazile. "Why? Our brave service members and women are patriots, regardless of their political affiliations. MY father was drafted to fight in the Korean War and served with honor and distinction. He instilled in us the values of love for God, church, family, and our beloved nation."

"I'm guessing Pete doesn't realize that after being completely s— on by this admin whose mistake has taken 18 lives and injured hundreds of military personnel," blasted political analyst and pollster Rachel Bitecofer, referring to the number of U.S. military deaths in the Iran war. "Not to mention the way they s— on the Lincoln."

"Hatch Act--anyone??!" pointed out national columnist Sophia Nelson.

"Just wrong," added Democratic strategist Leslie Marshall.

"Hegseth's whole 'I'm the warrior warfighter's best friend that's why I'm the secretary of war' bit it is so profoundly, viscerally repulsive given that he has been instrumental in covering up the real number of killed and injured troops in the pointless Iran war," slammed journalist Pedro Gonzalez. "In an administration filled with loathsome goons Hegseth is near the very top."

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