Marianne Gingrich’s lawyer comes along today with a (mostly-accurate) attack on the Newtster. No big deal there. But wait a minute: the former Mrs. Gingrich’s lawyer is Victoria Toensing — where have I heard that name before?
Oh yes — that Victoria Toensing. Long-time Washington GOP political operative. A very high priced inside-the-Beltway fixer for the Republican establishment. The one who spent hours and hours on television claiming that Bill Clinton should be impeached for the Lewinsky scandal, and then more hours on television defending the likes of Scooter Libby.
Big name Washington lawyers do not come cheap. Who is paying her? Well, maybe Mrs. Gingrich. Or maybe not. It would be very interesting to see who is helping to fund the takedown. Expect more high-priced lawyers to come in if Gingrich wins Florida.
Author: Jonathan Zasloff
Jonathan Zasloff teaches Torts, Land Use, Environmental Law, Comparative Urban Planning Law, Legal History, and Public Policy Clinic - Land Use, the Environment and Local Government. He grew up and still lives in the San Fernando Valley, about which he remains immensely proud (to the mystification of his friends and colleagues). After graduating from Yale Law School, and while clerking for a federal appeals court judge in Boston, he decided to return to Los Angeles shortly after the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, reasoning that he would gladly risk tremors in order to avoid the average New England wind chill temperature of negative 55 degrees.
Professor Zasloff has a keen interest in world politics; he holds a PhD in the history of American foreign policy from Harvard and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University. Much of his recent work concerns the influence of lawyers and legalism in US external relations, and has published articles on these subjects in the New York University Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. More generally, his recent interests focus on the response of public institutions to social problems, and the role of ideology in framing policy responses.
Professor Zasloff has long been active in state and local politics and policy. He recently co-authored an article discussing the relationship of Proposition 13 (California's landmark tax limitation initiative) and school finance reform, and served for several years as a senior policy advisor to the Speaker of California Assembly. His practice background reflects these interests: for two years, he represented welfare recipients attempting to obtain child care benefits and microbusinesses in low income areas. He then practiced for two more years at one of Los Angeles' leading public interest environmental and land use firms, challenging poorly planned development and working to expand the network of the city's urban park system. He currently serves as a member of the boards of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (a state agency charged with purchasing and protecting open space), the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (the leading legal service firm for low-income clients in east Los Angeles), and Friends of Israel's Environment. Professor Zasloff's other major activity consists in explaining the Triangle Offense to his very patient wife, Kathy.
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Don’t forget the obvious possibility that she’s donating her efforts both for the exposure and to ingratiate herself with Republican establishment forces opposed to Newt - those backing Romney and those that just fear the collateral effects of a Newt candidacy.
Very true — but then that would be a story also.
Warren, the idea is that somebody who’s well-connected feels that attacking Newt would be doing a favor for the higher-ups in the GOP.
Romney’s campaign seems to be collapsing like an Enron house of cards…
Newt’s got himself a sugar daddy…
And his ex-wife has got a Rove operative flinging poo…
This could be better than the Hillary vs. Barack thing.
Fire up the popcorn machine…
And Democrats: Never forget the way Limbaugh tried to screw up the Texas primary…
If we get a chance to throw moldy tomatoes into this food fight, we’d be amiss not to.
I agree with Jonathan — I hope a good journalist gets on this story.
Should be able to, since they’ll avoid looking into any stories on the Democratic side of the race, they’ve got plenty of free time.
Yeah, nobody’s really given sufficient attention to that birth certificate thing.
The Democratic side of the primary race? Oh yeah, that’s a nail biter. Wonder how it will turn out?
If they’ve got time to hunt up Newt’s ex, they’ve got time to interview, for instance, Obama’s drug dealer. Or find out who leaked those sealed divorce papers for him to clear the way into the Senate. There’s no shortage of things about Obama to investigate, which the media wouldn’t hesitate for an instant to look into about a Republican candidate.
Treat Obama like Newt or Cain, or treat them like Obama. One or the other. One standard, whatever it happened to be, wouldn’t grate, it’s the double standard that pisses people off.
Don’t forget the Occidental/Columbia/Harvard transcript non-issue.
Has any presidential candidate ever released their higher-ed transcripts? I know Ricky Bobby’s were released, but he didn’t release them himself.
Wow, Brett, you’re really desperate. We know who leaked the Ryans’ divorce papers: Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider. Except that it wasn’t so much a leak as it was a court order. It’s a subtle difference, I realize.
Occasionally Brett has something insightful to add. This isn’t one of those times.
If they’ve got time to hunt up Newt’s ex
Did some reporter take the time to hunt up Newt’s ex, or did her lawyer call a press conference?
I suppose to be fair someone could hunt up one of Obama’s ex-wives for a juicy comment or two. Oh, wait…
On the contrary, it’s being pissed off that causes people to imagine that double standard.