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Mitt Romney wasted no time in attacking Newt Gingrich over the former speaker’s claims that he “left” the speakership after taking responsibility for heavy losses in the House. Romney said that after four years as speaker, Gingrich “resigned in disgrace” after more than 80 percent of Republicans voted to reprimand him, and then he remained in Washington as an “influence peddler.” Gingrich countered by saying that the vote in the ethics committee was in 1997, two years before he left the speakership and that he personally asked his fellow Republicans to vote yes in order to put the ethics charges behind him. Gingrich accused Romney of running deliberately negative and dishonest attacks, but Romney said he was “going to point out things I think people need to know.” Ron Paul joined in the attacks too, saying that Gingrich left the House because he did not have the votes.
