GOP debate: Gingrich attacks media when asked about ex-wife

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Newt Gingrich slammed the media for bringing his ex-wife into the presidential campaign, getting a standing ovation from the crowd at Thursday night’s debate.

The first question, asked by CNN host John King, was to the former speaker, asking him about Marianne Gingrich’s allegation that he asked for an “open marriage.”

{mosads}”I am appalled you’d begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,” Gingrich said.

“I think the destructive, vicious nature of much of the news media makes it harder to run this country,” he noted.
 
He said Marianne Gingrich’s claim, in an interview with ABC News, that he had asked her to have an open marriage so that he could continue his affair with Callista, now his third wife, was “false.”

He noted that even though his campaign offered people close to both him and his ex-wife to refute the claim but said ABC officials “weren’t interested because they would like to attack any Republican…. I’m tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans.”

The crowd applaued all of his attacks on the media and gave him a standing ovation when he charged the media with “protecting” President Obama. They booed King’s questions.

King tried to defend his question, noting the interview was done by another network and had dominated the day’s news cycle, but Gingrich snapped: “John it was repeated by your network. You chose to start the debate with it. Don’t try to blame someone else.”

The former speaker’s opponents also downplayed the story when asked about it.

“Let’s get on to the real issues, that’s all I’ve got to say,” said Mitt Romney.

Rick Santorum, a Catholic who discusses his faith on the campaign trail, noted that Christianity is about forgiveness.

Ron Paul tweaked Gingrich by mentioning his wife of 54 years but noted “too often all of us are on the receiving end of these attacks from the news media.”

The former House speaker led in the two most recent polls of South Carolina, and was endorsed by Rick Perry after the former Texas governor dropped out. But the story was a hot one Thursday and risks hurting Gingrich with the large number of evangelical Christians voters in the state.