Newt Gingrich

Gingrich's 527 Promotes Itself And Newt -- But Not GOP Candidates

Ryan J. Reilly | October 5, 2010, 9:24AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

These days, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, most so-called "527" groups -- able to accept unlimited contributions and hide the sources of their donations -- have taken to helping their favorite candidates and attacking their opponents in political advertisements.

Not Newt Gingrich's 527 group. The vast majority of expenses by American Solutions for Winning the Future from April-June 2010 went towards promoting both the organization itself and one man: Newt Gingrich.

American Solutions spent at least $2.3 million on fundraising activities, travel expenses and direct marketing in the months of April, May and June -- including over $1.4 million on direct marketing alone -- according to an analysis by TPMMuckraker. That's the majority of the $3.2 million the group spent altogether. The group took in $3.4 million in donations during that period.

The AP found in an earlier review that American Solutions spent nearly all of the $20 million it has raised in the past two years on administrative and travel expenses.

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