Newt Gingrich‘s second wife, Marianne, says in 1999 the former Speaker of the House, now a front-running GOP presidential candidate, wanted an “open marriage” and told her this — while mentioning divorce as an ultimatum — on the phone, while she was celebrating her mother’s 84th birthday. A day later, Gingrich delivered a speech on religion and family values, “The Demise of American Culture,” attacking liberals by claiming their policies hurt families and children. Ultimately, Gingrich divorced Marianne, who had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and married Callista, the present Mrs. Gingrich, his third wife.
The Washington Post reports:
“When a liberal talks about values, will he or she actually like us to teach American history?†Newt Gingrich told the women’s group. “Will they actually like young people to learn that George Washington was an ethical man? A man of standards, a man who earned the right to be father of this country?â€
Marianne Gingrich said she was speaking out for the first time this year because she wanted her story told from her point of view, rather than be depicted as the victim or suffer a whisper campaign by supporters of Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid.
“How could he ask me for a divorce on Monday and within 48 hours give a speech on family values and talk about how people treat people?†she said.
The Huffington Post adds:
In excerpts of the interview released ahead the ABC broadcast, Marianne Gingrich said Gingrich conducted his affair with Callista “in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington.”
“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 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.
Citing a 2010 interview with Esquire, NPR notes:
Marianne also seemed eager to point out the discrepancies between Gingrich’s public and private lives:
“He could have been president. But when you try and change your history too much, and try and recolor it because you don’t like the way it was or you want it to be different to prove something new … you lose touch with who you really are. You lose your way,” she told Esquire. “He believes that what he says in public and how he lives don’t have to be connected,” she says. “If you believe that, then yeah, you can run for president.”
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