Rollins clears the record on Gingrich, surprises Fox pundits

Ed Rollins was a campaign manager for President Ronald Reagan, and he’s nationally known as an expert on politics as well as a strategist.

Few pundits know more about members of Congress during the Reagan years than Rollins. Fox News interviewed Rollins recently, and he spoke bluntly about some of the negative charges former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s fellow presidential contenders have levied.

Rollins’ comments about Gingrich appeared to surprise at least one Fox pundit—watch her face in the video as he speaks. His tone even surprised me.

Rollins said:

"I'm going to straighten it out once and for all: Gingrich was a very important congressional ally. Congressmen aren't in the White House all day long, and they're not basically giving advice. But he and Jack Kemp and Trent Lott and others were among 10 or 12 most important players and most loyal to Ronald Reagan. At the same time, Mitt Romney was an independent and he was not on the political scene at all. It's a stupid argument. They ought to be talking about the future, not the past.”

(Filed by Kay B.Day/ Feb. 9, 2012)