Newt Gingrich said on Monday that he has requested the release of his consulting contract with Freddie Mac, adding that it would be “very helpful” if the release came before next week's Florida primary contest.
Asked if he will release the consulting contract between his former company, the Center for Health Transformation, and Freddie Mac, Gingrich told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: “We asked them to work out releasing it. They have a number of confidentiality agreements. I'm very comfortable with it being released.”
"I think it would be very helpful," Gingrich said, when asked if he would like the release to occur before the primary.
The GOP presidential candidate has faced criticism over his work at the federal mortgage lenders—criticism that rival candidate Mitt Romney hammered home on Friday, when he said that Gingrich spent years working as a lobbyist. Romney called for the release of Gingrich's contract with Freddie Mac; Florida has been particularly hard-hit by the housing bust, a fact the former Massachusetts governor noted at his Friday campaign rally.
Gingrich denied Romney's accusations, saying that Romney has been “deliberately saying things he knows are false."
“I did no lobbying, period,” Gingrich said of his time advising Freddie Mac.
Romney also criticized the former House speaker on Saturday for failing to release a report on the work he did for the organization.
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