CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Fact Checks Newt Gingrich
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer fact checks a comment former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made in last week’s CNN, Arizona Republican Presidential Debate. Gingrich’s response, “Wolf, I always know when I deal with you… you’re going to do your homework. So now I’ve got to go back and read the transcript.” A highlight from the interview if after the jump.
Please credit all usage of the interview to CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED
BLITZER: One final question, Mr. Speaker, because I know you’ve got to get going, but in last week’s debate, the CNN debate in Mesa, Arizona — you remember it. You were critical of what you called the elite news media for never questioning President Obama four years ago when he was running for president about his position on what you called legalizing infanticide.
We checked. In fact, I remember it, at the time, we did report on that extensively and we did question President Obama at the time. Our special contributor, David Brody, of the Christian Broadcasting Network, interviewed President Obama on this subject.
Here’s a clip of what we ran right here in THE SITUATION ROOM on CNN.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM 2008, COURTESY CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK)
DAVID BRODY, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: Real quick, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, I’ve got to tell you that’s the one thing I get a lot of e-mails about.
BARACK OBAMA: Yes.
BRODY: And it’s not just from Evangelicals.
OBAMA: Right.
BRODY: It’s about Catholics, Protestants…
OBAMA: Right.
BRODY: — main, male. They’re trying to understand it…
OBAMA: Yes.
BRODY: — because there was some literature put out by the National Right to Life Committee.
OBAMA: Right.
BRODY: And — and they’re basically saying that you — they felt like you misrepresented your position on that bill and…
OBAMA: I…
BRODY: — you…
OBAMA: — I — let — let me clarify this…
BRODY: Yes.
OBAMA: — right now, because one thing…
BRODY: Because it’s getting a lot of play.
OBAMA: Well, and because they have not been telling the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to correct the record. So let it show that we did report on that.
GINGRICH: OK.
BLITZER: We did question President Obama. And — and it was played right here on CNN in THE SITUATION ROOM.
I just wanted to clarify that for the record.
GINGRICH: Well, listen — listen, I — I commend you for clarifying it. I’m going to go back and look at the full transcript. And I’ll be curious whether or not anybody came back and said that, in fact, the person who wasn’t telling the truth was Barack Obama, because the bill he supported did, in fact, protect doctors who killed babies after they were born alive in an abortion.
And the nurse who has been the most deeply involved in that has her own Web site. She held a baby for 45 minutes as it was dying. And I think her vision of that bill is radically different from the president’s.
But I’m going to go back — listen, Wolf, I always know when I deal with you, we’re going to — you’re going to do your homework. So now I’ve got to go back and read the transcript. And I apo — I promise you I will do that.
BLITZER: Please. Then we’ll talk. We’ll continue this conversation.
GINGRICH: OK.
BLITZER: Mr. Speaker, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
GINGRICH: Good to be with you.
###