GOP candidates clash over influence - "working as an influence peddler."
Published January 23, 2012
| Associated Press
Some notable moments from the GOP presidential debate Monday night in Tampa, Fla., a week ahead of the state's Jan. 31 primary:
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NEWT GINGRICH'S EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich clashed repeatedly in heated, personal terms, with the former Massachusetts governor tagging his rival as a Washington "influence peddler," only to be accused in turn of spreading falsehoods over many years in politics.
"You've been walking around the state saying things that are untrue," Gingrich retorted in a nearly two-hour debate marked by interruptions and finger-pointing.
Romney, newly aggressive after his stinging loss to Gingrich in South Carolina, called Gingrich a former House speaker who "resigned in disgrace" and spent the next 15 years "working as an influence peddler."
In particular, he referred to the contract Gingrich's consulting firm had with Freddie Mac, a government-backed mortgage giant that he said "did a lot of bad for a lot of people and you were working there."
"I have never, ever gone and done any lobbying," Gingrich retorted emphatically.
