Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said his recent criticism of Mitt Romney for his work with investment firm Bain Capital was “not an attack on capitalism.” Gingrich has himself been criticized by others in the GOP for his line of attack,
Politico reported.
“It’s legitimate to ask the question — and this is the whole Wall Street problem — how come the big boys made a lot of money and [others] went broke?” Gingrich said in an appearance on Fox News, according to Politico. “And that’s not an attack on capitalism. That’s not an issue about the whole capitalist system. That is a question about a very particular style of activity involving a very particular person.”
Gingrich insisted his criticism of Romney was not “about the general process of entrepreneurial conservatism” but a “series of cases that don’t look right.”
“This issue at hand is neither about Bain Capital, private-equity firms, nor about capitalism. It is about Mitt Romney’s judgment and character,” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said, according to Politico. “It was Gov. Romney’s decision to base his candidacy, in large part, on his background as a portfolio manager. Thus, it is entirely legitimate to ask questions about whether he is accurately presenting how he conducted himself during that career.”
Among those critical of the line of attack are Romney supporter Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said Gingrich’s attack was “ignorant” and “dumb.”
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