Gingrich Advises Media: 'Follow The Money'

He Slams Clinton for Alleged Corruption

MARIETTA, Ga. (AllPolitics, Oct. 19) -- House Speaker Newt Gingrich Saturday launched a full-scale assault on the Clinton administration, calling it a "system of dishonesty, a system of corruption."

Suggesting that possibly illegal contributions to Democrats would grow into a "scandal far, far bigger than Watergate," the Georgia Republican criticized Democrats for taking contributions from Asian citizens and businesses. And he urged reporters to "dig in and find out what happened," challenging them to find sources to explain the alleged wrongdoing.

"Deep throat said in Watergate, follow the money," Gingrich told reporters. "It turns out in this administration, every time you follow the money, there's more money. And every time there's more money, there's more corruption. And every time there's more corruption, there's another story. And each day it gets weirder."

Republicans have raised questions in recent weeks about contributions made to the Democratic Party by members of an Indonesian family. One contribution was returned after Democratic National Committee lawyers determined it was not legal.

Describing the "Indonesian Connection" as "the largest scandal to affect the presidency in the history of the United States," Gingrich suggested that accepting questionable contributions was a problem isolated to the Democrats.

"No one has ever accused us of dealing with foreigners," he told supporters. "No one has ever accused us of illegally doing anything."

However, contrary to his claim, a former vice chairman of the Dole campaign was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay a $6 million fine in July for illegal contributions to the Dole campaign. Simon C. Fireman, a Massachusetts businessman, admitted that he funneled at least $38,000 to Dole by reimbursing employees of his swimming pool supply company.

Gingrich also took jabs at Vice President Al Gore, accusing him of attending an illegal campaign event and taking illegal contributions last April when he visited a Buddhist temple in California.

"The vice president should have said, 'Gee, why are we at a religious institution?'" Gingrich said. "These are not hapless good ol' boys who occasionally have a boo-boo."

Dole escalates attacks

Gingrich's attacks came as Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole continued his assault on Clinton's ethics, using both the GOP's weekly radio address and campaign stops in Kentucky to hammer his points.

"Because integrity is everything, we cannot allow political influence of any American to be outweighed by foreign money," Dole said at a campaign rally.

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In his radio address, Dole accused the Clinton administration of filling its "ethical vacuum" with "foreign political money."

"We cannot accept this kind of activity as normal or permissible in America without diminishing the ideals of America itself," the former Senate majority leader said.

Dole's press secretary Nelson Warfield took aim at Clinton's proposal to try and curb teen drinking and drug use by taking away their drivers licenses.

"His announcement today just proves that Bill Clinton would test positive for political cynicism," said Warfield. "He's guilty of CWI -- campaigning while impersonating a moderate, and he's a repeat offender. Congratulations, Mr. President. You've proposed making it harder for a teen-ager to get a license than it is for a Buddhist monk to write a check for your campaign."

Despite the attacks, Dole continues to sink in the polls. He has been on the attack all week, pointing out supposed weaknesses in Clinton's ethical conduct.

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Polls show Dole trailing by double-digit margins just 2 1/2 weeks before the election. And Gallup's daily tracking poll indicated that the recent presidential debates -- counted on by Republicans to boost a sagging Dole campaign -- had a marginally opposite effect.

The Gallup poll released Saturday, the first conducted after the final debate Wednesday, showed that Clinton's lead had jumped slightly, as it did after the first debate October 6.

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