Newt Gingrich and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly got into a big argument on air during an interview. The televised incident has brought the politician’s past affairs back into the spotlight.
Newt Gingrich is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the 2012 candidate for the Republican pesidential nomination, a businessman, historian, and writer. On Tuesday night (October 25), he got into a televised altercation with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly during her show, The Kelly File. The politician accused Kelly of being “fascinated by sex” referring to hers, and the media’s, coverage of Donald Trump’s sexual assault allegations. This has now brought up Gingrich’s past affairs as Newt Gingrich’s cheating scandals are better known than his public service. Here are some facts to know about Newt Gingrich’s affairs.
1) His First Wife Was His High School Teacher
When Gingrich was 19, he married 26-year-old Jacqueline Battley, his high school geometry teacher. They have two daughters: Kathy and Jackie Gingrich. Kathy Gingrich is married to Paul Lubbers, the President of Gingrich Communications. Jackie Gingrich is married to Jimmy Cushman Jr., an author, conservative columnist, and political commentator.
2) He Had an Affair while His Wife Was Suffering from Cancer
Gingrich began an affair with Marianne Ginther while Battley was recovering from uterine cancer. She told The Washington Post that she was surprised when Gingrich had come to the hospital to talk about the divorce. However, their daughter, and a subsequent CNN news report during the 2012 elections, revealed that it was Battley who filed for divorce and not Gingrich. The divorce was finalised in 1980, and Battley passed away in 2013.
3) He Remarried Six Months after the Divorce
Gingrich didn’t waste any time after the divorce was finalized and married Marianne Ginther. Ginther, then 28 years-old, was a congressional staffer. She helped manage his family’s finances and got them out of debt. But their marriage was on the rocks. Ginther didn’t want the public life that comes with being a politician’s wife.
4) He had an Affair with Another Congressional Aide
Ginther was the start of a pattern for Gingrich. He had asked the House of Representatives staffer to marry him before his divorce with Jackie was final. He then began an affair with another staffer, Callista Bisek, who worked in the office of Congressman Gunderson in 1993. Bisek was 23 years Gingrich’s junior, when he proposed to her—while still married to Ginther. At that time, Ginther was suffering from multiple sclerosis, and Gingrich was publicly condemning Bill Clinton for having an affair.
Gingrich and Ginther divorced in 2000. Soon after, she appeared on ABC’s Nightline where she said that Gingrich had suggested an open marriage wherein he could have a mistress, which she refused. When Gingrich was questioned about it at the South Carolina Primary Debate, he denied his ex-wife’s claims, adding that turning an ex-wife’s claims into a significant question during the debate was “close to despicable.”
5) He Married Immediately after His Second Divorce … Again
Gingrich and Bisek married four months after his divorce with Ginther was finalized. Gingrich had later admitted to having affairs during his first two marriages. Bisek currently serves as the President of Gingrich Productions, a multimedia company that produces historical and public policy documentary films, publishes books and newsletters.
Sources:
https://goo.gl/gxFPu
