Embedded Gingrich Freddie Mac Contract, Romney's Freddie Mac Fannie Mae Investments

By Susan Duclos

Embeddable Freddie Mac contract below post.

Earlier it was reported that after all day Mitt Romney attacks against Newt Gingrich with Romney challenging Gingrich to describe the work he did for Freddie Mac, Newt authorized the release of his Freddie Mac contract, which is embedded below.

What Romney neglected to mention but which is public little known knowledge is that Romney himself has substantial money invested in Freddie Mac and it's sister company Fannie Mae.

AP:

Romney's most recent financial disclosure report listed several investments in U.S.-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Romney, Gingrich and other GOP critics repeatedly have all singled out the two quasi-government entities as prime villains in the housing crisis that played a central role in the nation's long and deep recession.

While continuing to hammer Gingrich for his consulting work for Freddie Mac, the Romney campaign sought to deflect questions about the former Massachusetts governor's investments. They include a mutual fund worth up to $500,000 that includes assets from both lenders among other government income, and separate investments in each of the lenders in Romney's individual retirement account, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000.

Romney campaign officials said Monday that a trustee handles the investments and that Romney had no role in choosing or managing them.

Romney claims Gingrich worked as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac and Gingrich maintains he was a paid consultant. No mention in tonight's debate of Romney's investments into the companies in question.

Freddie Mac Agreement



This topic led to heated exchanges in the Tampa, Florida Republican debate tonight.

Expect the battle in Florida to heat up more between Romney and Newt since recent polling, three now with the latest PPP poll added to the Insider Advantage and Rasmussen polls reported on earlier in the day, all show Gingrich has gone from trailing Romney to leading in the Florida polls. Gingrich has also caught up to Romney in the national polls according to Gallup Election 2012 tracking (Right side at Gallup link).

While both Santorum and Paul performed well in tonight's debate, the fighting back and forth at the beginning of the debate focused more on Romney and Gingrich.

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Gingrich Meets Romney's Challenge And Releases Freddie Mac Contract

By Susan Duclos

[Update] Embeddable contract found HERE in a followup post as well as data on Romney's Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae investments.[End Update]

Reuters reports that Mitt Romney challenged Newt Gingrich to describe the work Gingrich performed for Freddie Mac as well as unleashing television ads attacking Gingrich and claiming he cashed in on the housing crisis.

Via Reuters:

Rival Mitt Romney, who was trounced by Gingrich in Saturday's South Carolina primary, has hit the former speaker of the House of Representatives particularly hard because of his ties to Freddie Mac as part of an effort to paint him as a creature of Washington.

[SNIP]

Republicans blame government-sponsored mortgage finance companies like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for the 2007 housing-market crash that plunged the country into the deepest recession since the 1930s. Outside economists say lax oversight of the financial industry is primarily to blame.

Gingrich has denied he worked as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac and said he would work to release details of his contract.

The Center for Health Transformation, a consulting firm founded by Gingrich in 2003 and sold to his partners in 2011, has previously said that it could not release the contract due to client confidentiality concerns. But spokeswoman Susan Meyers said the firm would make the material public on Monday.

The company says it does not perform lobbying services for clients, which come from the healthcare, education and technology industries.

Challenge met!!!

In the meantime, Romney still has not made his tax returns available. Not that he had to, but when insisting others be totally transparent, it would be helpful if Romney was.

Romney, after refusing to release them, after losing to Gingrich in South Carolina, finally agreed to release them, but not until tomorrow.

Related:

Politisite "Gingrich Releases Freddie Mac Contract."

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