Tuesday, September 25

A friend of the devil is a friend of mine... as they say

Newt Gingrich made news on Sunday by telling Fox News host Chris Wallace that he is planning to let potential donors decide whether he should run for President. He said he would run for President only if he could raise $30 million in pledges.

The former politician turned talking head announced that his longtime adviser Randy Evans would "spend the next three weeks checking with people around the country. If he reports back that, in fact, we think the resources are there for a real race.... then close to that we'll face a very big decision in late October."

Jonathan Stein at MoJo Blog was giddy at the possibility that one of Mother Jones Magazine's biggest targets will enter the presidential race. Stein seems almost itching for a fight against the polarizing conservative figure:

People say Hillary would fare poorly in a general election because she would energize Republicans. Newt Gingrich would do the same to Democrats, except times a thousand. So everyone get out your checkbooks and start mailing money to this Randy Evans fellow.
So, who is this Randy Evans fellow and why is the Presidential hopeful placing all his eggs in Evan's basket?

Evans works at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP where he has served as as outside counsel to both Newt Gingrich and J. Dennis Hastert, Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, as well as to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt and former Representative from Oklahoma and House GOP Chairman J.C. Watts.

In 1996, when Gringrich was facing ethics complaints made with the Committee on Standards in the United States House of Representatives he tapped Evans to represent him. Evans eventually negotiated an agreement that permitted Mr. Gingrich to remain as Speaker.

So I guess you could say Gringrich owes this fundraiser his job.

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