Romney Campaign Press Release - Newt's Georgia Lobbying? Just Peachy

"It appears that Newt Gingrich's career as a 'non-lobbyist' spread beyond his K Street office — including his former home state of Georgia. Reports indicate Speaker Gingrich may have even run afoul of Georgia's lobbying disclosure requirements. The devil is in the details, and the details suggest that Newt was lobbying for a whole host of clients, despite his claims to the contrary." —Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Savannah Morning News Headline — "Not A Lobbyist, Newt Gingrich Says, But It Looks Like He Was In Georgia":

In 2004, Gingrich Met With Georgia House Republicans And "Talked Up" His Clients. "That year, Gingrich met on behalf of the center in 2004 with the Georgia House Republican caucus and talked up, among other paid members of the health transformation center, a firm called VitalSpring Technologies. ... According to a document on the center's website, Gingrich described specific benefits if members were hired. The document also included a handout listing mostly members of the center, their contact information and a description of their services." (Larry Peterson, "Not A Lobbyist, Newt Gingrich Says, But It Looks Like He Was In Georgia," Savannah Morning News, 12/11/11)

Gingrich Pitched Georgia Legislators On The Many Benefits Of His Clients. "At his discussion with Georgia House Republicans in 2004, Mr. Gingrich gave examples of companies whose services could 'both improve health and start saving money,' according to the center's summary of his presentation. His talk included a handout listing mostly members of the center, their contact information and a description of their services." (Mike McIntire and Jim Rutenberg, "Gingrich Gave Push To Clients, Not Just Ideas," The New York Times, 11/29/11)

Politico: "According To Georgia Lobbying Laws, Those Meetings Appear To Have Constituted Lobbying." "But according to Georgia lobbying laws, those meetings appear to have constituted lobbying — given that VitalSpring was a dues-paying member of CHT. The state's lobbying laws have recently changed, adding a 10 percent threshold for amount of time spent on lobbying activities — but in 2004, the two main requirements for lobbyist registration were compensation for promoting products or companies to lawmakers, or spending over $250 on those promotion activities." (Ben Smith, "Gingrich Skirted State Lobbying Law," Politico, 12/5/11)

At That Time, Georgia Defined A Lobbyist As Anyone Paid To Promote Companies To Lawmakers — "And They Were Required To Register." "In 2004, Georgia had a looser standard. People who were paid to promote products or companies to lawmakers or if they spent more than $250 on such efforts were considered lobbyists under the law. And they were required to register." (Larry Peterson, "Not A Lobbyist, Newt Gingrich Says, But It Looks Like He Was In Georgia," Savannah Morning News, 12/11/11)

Gingrich's Firm Hired Lobbyists In Georgia And Other States:

AP: "Gingrich's Center For Health Transformation Hired A Former Georgia Lobbyist To Help Develop Business In That State." "Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says his consulting group never lobbied for clients. But his business hired state and federal lobbyists to work with clients, and some staff left to take lobbying jobs, according to lobbying disclosures and corporate reports. Gingrich's Center for Health Transformation hired a former Georgia lobbyist to help develop business in that state; a former Missouri state agency director who was a registered lobbyist before joining Gingrich's group; and a Washington lobbyist hired from a firm led by former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, a Gingrich supporter." (Brett J. Blackledge, "Gingrich Shunned Lobbying, But Hired Lobbyists," The Associated Press, 2/6/12)

Client Benefits? "Access To Newt Gingrich" And "Direct Newt Interaction":

Gingrich "Has Made Millions Of Dollars While Helping Companies Promote Their Services And Gain Access To State And Federal Officials." "Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but rather a visionary who traffics in ideas, not influence. But in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote their services and gain access to state and federal officials. In a variety of instances, documents and interviews show, Mr. Gingrich arranged meetings between executives and officials, and salted his presentations to lawmakers with pitches for his clients, who pay as much as $200,000 a year to belong to his Center for Health Transformation." (Mike McIntire and Jim Rutenberg, "Gingrich Gave Push To Clients, Not Just Ideas," The New York Times, 11/29/11)

Gingrich's Center For Health Transformation Offered Member Companies Varying Levels Of "Access To Newt Gingrich" And "Direct Newt Interaction." "The Center for Health Transformation, which opened in 2003, brought in dues of as much as $200,000 per year from insurers and other health-care firms, offering some of them 'access to Newt Gingrich' and 'direct Newt interaction,' according to promotional materials. ... The center attracted a long list of global health-care firms and interest groups, which paid $5,000 to $200,000 a year, based on their size, to be members. Based on archived membership lists going back to 2003, that means the center brought in as much as $6.25 million per year from higher-level members giving $50,000 or more, totaling at least $37 million since 2003." (Dan Eggen, "Gingrich Think Tank Collected Millions From Health-Care Industry," The Washington Post, 11/17/11)