Newt: US 'Gaining Momentum' Through NKorea Stance

The United States is "really gaining momentum," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday, while agreeing with comments President Donald Trump made in his Tennessee speech on Tuesday that the country is now respected again because of its high stakes negotiations with North Korea.

"Having America back with job creation, having us back with exploration in space, having us rebuilding our military, all those things give us muscle in the international arena," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."

He also praised the "firm toughness" on display is also having an effect.

"I thought Secretary of State [Mike]Pompeo's speech about Iran was equally aimed at North Korea," said Gingrich.

"It was a very tough speech and says to the Iranians here are the bad things that can happen to you if you don't fall in line. In a sense, if you are Kim Jong Un and you are looking at that speech, you are thinking oh yeah, that could apply to me, too."

North Korea for years "got a deal, took them money, and broke their word," said Gingrich. "We will keep all the sanctions on until we can verify that you are doing the things that need to be done. Frankly, the South Koreans are begging the North Koreans to cut a deal. South Korea is very worried about the dangers of a real war dangerous for South Korea."

Meanwhile, the upcoming meetings in New York City with North Korean Vice Chairman Kim Young Chol are not going to be a "magic moment where Kim Jong Un decides to give up all his nuclear weapons in return for a visit to Mar-a-Lago or a promise by Trump to open up three golf courses," said Gingrich.

"These guys are tough. They spent three generations going through terrible circumstances trying to build these weapons, and it's going to be pretty tough getting them to give them up."

Gingrich also doubled down on a column he'd written for Fox News, in which he said special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is being overshadowed by five parallel scandals connected with either Hillary Clinton or former President Barack Obama.

Those scandals are, he said:

• The Clintons have been getting away with breaking the law for decades, ever since Hillary made almost $100,000 from a $1,000 cattle futures investment in 1978-1979. "For 40 years the Clintons have acted as though there were no laws that applied to them," he wrote.
• Clinton is being defended by the "deep state."
• Deep anti-Republican biais in the Justice Department has created an continued effort to undermine Trump.
• The "deep state," such as with assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's resistance to turn over documents, is interfering with transparency.
• Panic is breaking out among senior officials, who thought if Clinton won the presidency, she would protect them.

"The breaking point for me was the interview [former Director of National Intelligence] James Clapper said he hated to use the word spy," said Gingrich.

"I thought to myself, this guy was the director of national intelligence. He was theoretically in charge of all of our spies. That would be like having a guy who is a bar keeper who doesn't like alcohol and refuses to serve it."

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