TRUTH TEST HEADQUARTERS, Florida -- Even though Newt Gingrich's surge to the top of the presidential polls may be short-lived, a pro-Mitt Romney Super Political Action Committee (PAC) is going on the offensive to attack the former Speaker of the House.
"Restore Our Future," set up by former Romney campaign staffers, announced a $300,000 ad-buy in Florida for its new spot called "Plans," which takes aim at potential front-runner Gingrich.
WATCH HERE: Restore Our Future Super PAC - "Plans"
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The 10 News Investigators dissect the ad and fact-checked each of the claims made:
CLAIM 1: "Barack Obama's plan is working. Destroy Mitt Romney. Run against Newt Gingrich."
The ad cites a four-month-old article on the website "Politico" that discusses the president's strategy for beating the presumed frontrunner, Mitt Romney. But the article didn't even mention Gingrich, nor has there been any indication which Republican the president would prefer to run against.
Grade: F
CLAIM 2: "Newt has a ton of baggage. He was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. And took $1.6 million from Freddie Mac - before it helped cause the economic meltdown.."
In 1997, Gingrich agreed to pay $300,000 in ethics fines over a college class he taught that violated federal law by aiming to achieve "a partisan, political goal."
Gingrich also has taken heat for the $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac in the first half of last decade. He now contends he only saw $35,000 a year because his firm was paid the $1.6 million, not him; but Gingrich doesn't dispute the overall sum.
While "baggage" is an informal term, the ad gave Gingrich a break by avoiding a number of his other "skeletons in the closet" such as his admitted adultery. There's little to dispute in these claims.
Grade: A
CLAIM 3: Newt supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. And teamed with Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore on global warming.
On Gingrich's website, he proposes "a path to earned legality for some of the millions of people who are here outside the law." But because the foreigners wouldn't be gaining citizenship - he maintains it's not amnesty. That's a tough road to hoe.
On the global warming claim, Gingrich answered the call from Al Gore in 2008 to appear in a bi-partisan commercial with Nancy Pelosi to "address climate change."
Grade: A
CLAIM 4: Maybe that's why George Will calls him the "least conservative candidate."
In a Dec. 2 column, the conservative writer laments that Republicans "anticipated choosing between Mitt Romney, a conservative of convenience, and a conviction politician to his right. The choice, however, could be between Romney and the least conservative candidate, Newt Gingrich."
Grade: A
CONCLUSION:
It should be noted that the cash behind the ad is largely a mystery since "Restore Our Future" is a Super PAC, a political group that can avoid most disclosures as long as its messages are in the form of "calls for action." By sending viewers to a website, NewtFacts.com, the group is allowed to violate the spirit of the law without the letter of it.
But, compared to previous Truth Test findings, this ad treats the truth with a fair degree of respect. And the final report card reflects that.
Final Grade: B
Connect with 10 News Investigator Noah Pransky on Facebook at www.facebook.com/noahpransky or Twitter at www.twtter.com/noahpransky. Send your story tips to noah@wtsp.com or call 727-577-8474.