Tiffany’s spent big bucks lobbying Callista Gingrich’s committee

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By David Edwards

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has dodged questions about his half-million dollar Tiffany & Co. tab all week. Now, it has been revealed that the House committee Gingrich's wife Callista worked for was heavily lobbied by the posh jewelry store.

Politico revealed last week that in her 2005 and 2006 filings with the House Ethics Committee, Callista Gingrich disclosed that the former House Speaker had between $250,000 and $500,000 debt with Tiffany & Co. while she was working for the House Agriculture Committee.

"It's a standard no-interest account," Gingrich explained to CBS' Bob Schieffer Sunday. "We paid no interest on it. There was no problem with it. It's a normal way of doing business."

Over those those same years, Tiffany's doubled the amount of money they spent on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The company spent $200,000 in 2006 alone.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/25/tiffanys-spent-big-bucks-lobbying-callista-gingrichs-committee/

[FSogol]

1. Will all of Newt's griftting be exposed? Better go back under your rock, Newt. n/t

[SpiralHawk]

2. Republicons are so freakin corrupt

Republicons have deranged and depraved Family Vales that allow all kinds of cheating and lying.

As repeated harsh experience has shown to honorable Americans.

Is Callista wife #1, #2, #3 or #4 for DraftDodger Gingrich (R)? I get them confused?

[mopinko]

3. i think this will have legs.

i mean, tiffany's. does it get any more robber baron than that?

[malaise]

7. Yep this may have more legs than a centipede

:popcorn:

[The Blue Flower]

4. There's nothing standard about a no-interest account

Raise your hand if you get to charge purchases on your account with no interest.

[janet118]

5. Boy, did the Newt-ster look uncomfortable when asked about that

particular IOU or what?

I could smell the flop sweat right through my television.

When do newts hide under rocks?
Newts don't specifically hide under rocks but they go under rocks whenever they want too.

[Frustratedlady]

6. We need to keep after Newt for "The Rest of the Story" as Paul Harvey would say.

Has Tiffany said anything?

[global1]

8. Just Curious - What Was Tiffany's Lobbying For?........nt

[defendandprotect]

9. What did Tiffany want?

[Old and In the Way]

10. Relaxation on raw diamond imports?

Probably something to do with blood diamonds. Nice quid pro quo if that's the case. Hope Raw Story keeps picking the scab.

[defendandprotect]

12. Ah .... don't keep track of that kind of stuff -- did they get it?

Newt is one of the filthier things ever to hit the planet --

but he is a world class propagandist on the order of a little Goebbels, imo!!

Corporations have brought us candidates who are the bottom of the human barrel!!


Thanks for the info!! Appreciate it!!

:)

[jmowreader]

11. Elimination of capital gains taxes on precious metals?

What I'm thinking: Tiffany buys a lot of gold, silver, platinum, etc. If they bought an ounce of gold for $1200 in April 2010, made it into a product then sold it in May 2011, they've got a $300 long-term capital gain to deal with because they'd be dumbasses to not have their finished product prices track the spot price of the metals in them.

[defendandprotect]

13. You're probably correct, as well -- thank you!! Good ole Newt!!!

[Old and In the Way]

14. That's possible ...and certainly a better guess than mine.

It would be quite interesting to know what committees Callista was involved with and what legislation that directly affected Tiffany's would have been on their agenda. Your scenario could amount to 10's of millions of dollars to Tiffany's bottom line. A $500K, no interest RLC would take on a whole different context if there's a linkage along these lines.