Marianne Gingrich: ‘He wanted an open marriage and I refused’
Here’s the tidbit that ABC News has passed out from its interview with Marianne Gingrich, second wife to former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich:
From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — Dredging up a past that Newt Gingrich has worked hard to bury, the GOP presidential candidate’s second ex-wife says Gingrich asked for an “open marriage” in which he could have both a wife and a mistress.
In an interview with ABC News’ “Nightline” scheduled to air Thursday night, Marianne Gingrich said she refused to go along with the idea that she share her husband with Callista Bisek, who would later become his third wife.
The explosive interview was airing just two days before the presidential primary in South Carolina, a state with a strong Christian conservative bent, and as Gingrich tries to present himself as the strongest alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney.
In excerpts of the interview released ahead the ABC broadcast, Marianne Gingrich said her husband conducted his affair with Callista “in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington” while she was elsewhere.
“He always called me at night and always ended with ‘I love you,’” she said. “Well, she was listening.”
Marianne Gingrich, who was Gingrich’s second wife, said Gingrich told her “Callista doesn’t care what I do.”
“He was asking to have an open marriage and I refused,” she said. “That is not a marriage.”
She also said Gingrich moved to divorce her just months after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“He also was advised by the doctor when I was sitting there that I was not to be under stress,” she said. “He knew.”
Gingrich, asked by a voter Thursday about his past mistakes, said questions about his past life were inevitable but that he’d long since sought forgiveness. He said he expected attacks when he got into the race.
“We knew we would get beaten up,” he said while campaigning in Beaufort, S.C. “We knew we’d get lied about. We knew we’d get smeared. We knew there would be nasty ads and we decided the country was worth the pain.”
Earlier Thursday, in an interview on NBC’s “Today,” he was asked about his ex-wife’s interview and declined to speculate on how it would affect his campaign.
He said he wouldn’t “say anything bad” about his ex-wife and that he preferred not to address his personal life in detailed fashion. He added that members of his family had written ABC to protest the airing of the interview, saying they complained about the network “intruding into family things that are more than a decade old.”
Marianne Gingrich has said that Gingrich proposed to her before the divorce from his first wife was final in 1981; they were married six months later. Her marriage to Gingrich ended in divorce in 2000, and Gingrich has acknowledged he’d already taken up with Bisek, a former congressional aide.
The House speaker who pilloried President Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky was himself having an affair at the time.
As plans to air the interview were disclosed, Gingrich’s campaign released a statement from his two daughters from his first marriage, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman, suggesting that Marianne Gingrich’s comments may be suspect given the emotional toll that divorce takes on everyone involved.
“Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events. We will not say anything negative about our father’s ex-wife,” they said. “He has said before, privately and publicly, that he regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves.”
Gingrich has worked in recent years to present himself as changed man, offering himself in this campaign as a 68-year-old grandfather who has settled down with wife No. 3 and embraced God through Catholicism.
Last year, he said it would be up to voters to decide whether to hold his past against him.
“I think people have to look at me, ask tough questions, then render judgment,” he said then.
But he may not have been banking on his ex-wife, who has been silent so far in the 2012 campaign, to re-start that conversation.
In the NBC appearance, Gingrich said he planned to discuss “real stories,” and said he’d have to leave questions about his character up to voters. He called his daughters “credible” character witnesses.
A message seeking comment from Marianne Gingrich was not immediately returned.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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© 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
554 comments Add your comment
mehlman rings twice
January 19th, 2012
11:07 am
I just asked my wife for an open marriage. What did I do with that ice pack?
DannyX
January 19th, 2012
11:07 am
Anyone else running low on popcorn today?
Ryan Shakur
January 19th, 2012
11:10 am
lol mehlman
sheepdawg
January 19th, 2012
11:13 am
this will be very good when it all comes out. the saint who attacked clinton asked for an open marriage? what a pompous hypocrit!! the delusional right wingers will have to work hard to spin these stories. makes you laugh and gag at the same time……
Sean Smith
January 19th, 2012
11:13 am
Sure glad he is protecting the sanctity of marriage from us heathens gays.
Wow! Just Wow!
January 19th, 2012
11:17 am
“In interviews this morning, Gingrich says he’ll refuse to say anything negative about the woman he was married to for 18 years.”
Just like he said (until the Iowa votes were in) that he wouldn’t run a negative campaign against Mitt Romney?
sheepdawg
January 19th, 2012
11:17 am
so the mannequin’s name is callista the swinger?
Roach
January 19th, 2012
11:18 am
“But honey, you knew I was a pig when I was cheating on my first wife with you! Remember, she had cancer and all that? Seriously, who you think you were marrying?”
Randall Simmons
January 19th, 2012
11:19 am
He is no better than the liberal hero Bill Clinton.
sheepdawg
January 19th, 2012
11:19 am
CNN poll has Newt Gingrich rising in South Carolina
apparently newtie has no problems rising to any occasion…….
J Throckmorton Malcontent
January 19th, 2012
11:20 am
No wonder Palin endorsed him .
Logic
January 19th, 2012
11:23 am
For the dummies here that forgot…Clinton got in trouble because he lied to a Grand Jury…not because he had multiple affairs. Apparently sheepdawg never learned to read.
J Throckmorton Malcontent
January 19th, 2012
11:24 am
Newt: the choice of Key Party Republicans. “We’re Kinky Enough Already”.
B. Thenet
January 19th, 2012
11:25 am
Newt won’t say anything bad about her? Of course not, he will probably some poor kids to say bad things about her to help build their self esteem and a healthy respect for work,
ByteMe
January 19th, 2012
11:25 am
He is no better than the liberal hero Bill Clinton.
If you can’t tell the difference between someone who apologizes to his wife for cheating on her and someone who says “I’ll destroy our marriage if I can’t have her”, well there’s not much that’s going to penetrate your brain.
Look before I leap...
January 19th, 2012
11:26 am
Newt’s new version of DOMA:
A marriage is between a man and a woman, and another woman…and maybe a 3rd woman.
Makes him look more Mormon than Catholic.
mehlman rings twice
January 19th, 2012
11:26 am
Sheepdawg:
Do you mean “delusional right swingers”?
Guest
January 19th, 2012
11:27 am
Yet another reason why that crazy, lying Lizard is unfit to be President. If he is the nominee, I’m voting for Obama.
Lizard tried to impeach Bill Clinton for having an affair while he was doing the same thing. Lizard says the Palestinians are an “invented people” (meaning he wants to repudiate the 2-state solution that Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama all endorsed). Lizard came up with the original idea for ObamaCare and lobbied for it for years (too bad Mitt Romney and Barack Obama listened to him). Lizard proposes the use of “geoengineering” (dumping chemicals into the atmosphere) to stop man-made Global Warming, a “solution” much worse than the problem, even if you believe Al Gore’s dubious claims. Lizard wants a permanent moon colony and he wants to put mirrors in space to light highways (he doesn’t say how we are supposed to afford this). Lizard also lobbied for Freddie Mac and shilled for their business model (giving mortgages to people who couldn’t afford to pay them).
There is nothing “conservative” about Newt Gingrich. If you want a moderate who might be electable, vote for Romney. If you want a staunch fiscal conservative who polls well against Obama, vote for Paul. If you want a staunch social conservative who is less fiscally conservative than Romney (and probably can’t beat Obama), vote for Santorum. If you want a crazy fraud who is a bona-fide bad idea machine and will lose to Obama in a landslide, vote for that Lizard.
ConwayNative
January 19th, 2012
11:27 am
Looks like the GOP has a couple of platform choices:
Romney’s: Marriage is between one man and a woman and another woman and another woman and another…
or
Gingrich’s: Marriage is between one man, a woman and his mistress
Cutty
January 19th, 2012
11:28 am
It’s Obama’s fault!
Mark
January 19th, 2012
11:30 am
@ Cutty
Exactly!!!
Centrist
January 19th, 2012
11:30 am
The Catholic conversion is simply not going to inoculate his past character flaws and ugly antics.
Citing the very biased Insider Advantage poll as his closing the gap with Romney might get some of the readers here interested – but Gingrich has NO chance.
Fergie
January 19th, 2012
11:36 am
Newt Gringrich is trash – not worthy of the office of president. He should have been banned from ever putting his name in the race.
findog
January 19th, 2012
11:37 am
sounds kind of French to me
sjane
January 19th, 2012
11:37 am
I have a soon to be ex-husband that asked for an open marriage, threesomes and foursomes. Its only because we own a nightclub that makes him think he is as handsome and charming as Newt.
Danny O
January 19th, 2012
11:38 am
If this is true, then Newt has a lot of courage. Very few men would try suggesting that to their wives!
Mark
January 19th, 2012
11:38 am
I am loving this! This is an excellent example of the party of family values and morals. I will have pop corn popped and waiting for this interview tonight!
Lakeisha Jackson
January 19th, 2012
11:38 am
Newt should have done what Bill Clinton did…just go ahead and HAVE an open marriage, and to hell with what the wife says about it.
Libertine
January 19th, 2012
11:39 am
Newt really is an amphibian, isn’t he? I too will vote for Obama if he’s the nominee. Never thought I’d say that, but there it is.
Mormon
January 19th, 2012
11:41 am
For those of you that are still ignorant, the LDS church gave up plural marriage over 100 years ago. Quit quoting something you know nothing about.
Just Me
January 19th, 2012
11:41 am
The only one who has proven his integrity and good character over the years, is Ron Paul. You may not agree wtih everything he says, but then again, do you agree with everything any of them say? And don’t forget a lot of politicians will say anything to get elected. Ron Paul is a known and proven entity. I would much rather trust his wisdom, and respect his age, as well as his experience, and knowledge, than vote for any of the others. And I am not alone.
Greedy
January 19th, 2012
11:41 am
Well he’s got my vote now!
red herring
January 19th, 2012
11:41 am
ex-mrs. gringrich must still be really bitter. the candidates bedrooms don’t interest me at all (except perhaps palin and bachman’s –smile). even monica lewinsky didn’t make me want clinton out of office—i wasn’t wild about the fact he could lie under oath about things and get away with it. of course the question is– is newt’s ex-wife doing it for tabloid money or payment of any type?—then again it all depends on what your definition of “is” is…. any democrat or independent voters who voted for clinton shouldn’t care about this at all. of course newt/clinton did get us to a balanced budget (clinton had be hogtied and dragged to it but who cares–he was president when it happened)—they both were helped immensely by the dot com boom—but then we all know gw bush got the blame for the dot com bubble bursting when he has about as much to do with that as he has had with obama’s lack of success… america must learn that “stuff” happens and we must roll with the punches and deal with them—not blame everyone but ourselves—that is not a path to success.
Donna P.
January 19th, 2012
11:42 am
Sounds like a bitter ex-wife to me. She just wants her 15 minutes of fame! Is Romney paying her to come out and do this interview?
Libertarian
January 19th, 2012
11:42 am
Sjane do you consider Newt handsome and charming? Gene Simmons of Kiss once said “Man can’t live off one woman alone” Newt is proof!
Old Dawg
January 19th, 2012
11:43 am
Hell hath no fury …
What an absolute scumbag!!
And, yes, I would say the same thing if he was a Democrat, Independent or Libertarian.
Old timer
January 19th, 2012
11:45 am
Enter your comments hereAnd I would listen to an embittered ex wife because??? A little to much….to late. I wonder why ABC news did not interview the women who accused Clinton of rape and /abuse. ABC news has a vested interest in making sure Obama wins again. Most everyone there will vote for him…..listen with a grain of salt.
Interesting
January 19th, 2012
11:45 am
They are knocking down like little flies…all it takes is their real dirt to rise to surface and their out! So sad that the misfortune of Karma – comes back to haunt you in a presidental race (biggest race of their careers) – its what you get! #ratchet rats
He thought she was gone….she’s not.
shaggy
January 19th, 2012
11:46 am
I just threw up a little in my mouth, just thinking about any of the three having sex at all.
Oh, and Clinton’s impeachment was about perjury, lying under oath, NOT about getting BJs in the oval office. He lied, because he knew that Hillary would chop little bill off.
Look before I leap...
January 19th, 2012
11:47 am
I gotta wonder if this will come up in the debate tonight?
Guess we’ll just have to tune in and see.
Lynn
January 19th, 2012
11:48 am
The Republicans have family values. Unfortunately, they are from the Manson family.
Bill Clinton.......
January 19th, 2012
11:48 am
Well, I thought it was kinda nice of Newt to ask his wife if she wanted to be involved….I didn’t have the guts to ask Hillary….I just nailed those skunks on the side….Until that blue dress crap…..And JFK didn’t have the balls to ask Jackie…..That killing of Marilyn Monroe almost caught up with Bobby and him…Can’t be too careful………At least Newt was honest about it……Which is hard for Demo men to do…..
SBinF
January 19th, 2012
11:50 am
He wanted an open marriage? That actually makes me like him more….
Smarty
January 19th, 2012
11:52 am
AS on ‘Modern Family’ last night. Who gives a F-K. I don’t care who sleeps w/ who, etc. I just plain sense for once in Congress and by our President. That’s their own personal issues. Let’s get folks back to work and cut the balance the budget and pay off our debts TO US the American Citizens.
R U Kidding Me?
January 19th, 2012
11:53 am
td:
Where are you? Cat got your tongue? Can’t we get a little of your pompous, holier-than-thou, GOP ultra right-wing dribble? Surely this must be the fault of some crazy liberal plot, fuel by illegals and dope using welfare mamas.
AlphaDog
January 19th, 2012
11:54 am
Herman! Why didn’t you think of that line? Chicks dig it.
double
January 19th, 2012
11:55 am
These x spouse statements are usually just that,revenge.
Vengence is mine sayeth the Lord.In all fairness Newt would be the better choice to lead us through the difficult future.His personal life is far from perfect.Newt is very intelligent,knows Washington,been there done that.Jimmy Carter had good morals,good person,as president——–you define.
DaddysGirl
January 19th, 2012
11:55 am
We always knew News was a garden tool. Calista needs to SIT DOWN with her ice queen looking self. C’mon, a six year affair? He’s wasting his time and money. The GOP will never win with News or Romney. I don’t think folks are ready to ‘accept’ (for whatever reason) the Mormon faith. Perhaps it’s due to fear and ignorance of the religion…whatever the case may be…folks aren’t having it. I do applaude their efforts to make their religion appear to be more “accepting” of all people. Hmmmm…timing???
puff
January 19th, 2012
11:56 am
In the early ’70s at West Ga College, Prof Newt was a Rockefeller Republican. By the end of the ’70s you couldn’t get further right than he was. Politics, marriage, it’s all about what suits him in the moment. Always has been. He would be the least stable prez ever to occupy the WH.
frank
January 19th, 2012
11:56 am
LOL GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich told his ex-wife there was plenty enough of him to go around