Gingrich, from 1997...

House Reprimands, Penalizes Speaker
By John E. Yang
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 22 1997; Page A01

The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reprimand House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and order him to pay an unprecedented $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House's 208-year history it has disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing.


The ethics case and its resolution leave Gingrich with little leeway for future personal controversies, House Republicans said. Exactly one month before yesterday's vote, Gingrich admitted that he brought discredit to the House and broke its rules by failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law and by giving the House ethics committee false information.
"Newt has done some things that have embarrassed House Republicans and embarrassed the House," said Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.). "If [the voters] see more of that, they will question our judgment."

I read this morning that the Newt is forming a committee to explore the possibility of running for president. His political ambitions are shrewdly timed, as he no doubt feels America is open to his brand of Conservatism, and his former political career's ignominious end has no doubt been forgotten by his erstwhile political base of salt-of-the-earth, mainstream Conservatives. Let us hope their morals extend past the last decade when the Newt perpetrated and admitted an egregious failing of not only financial irresponsibility but also lying to his peers in Congress about it.

ADDENDUM dated May 15, 2011
Now Newt has announced he is running for President, and those who feel that he would make a good president ignore the fact that his 1997 crime would be an enhanced felony had he not been granted "immunity" due to his Representative status...