Democrat Keeps Heat on Gingrich : Ethics: Rep. Bonior calls for Speaker to release all documents on book deal. And report says meeting with Murdoch included a lobbyist.

Pressing his attack on Speaker Newt Gingrich’s ethics, the House’s No. 2 Democrat on Saturday called for the Georgia Republican to release to the public all documents detailing his two-book deal with a company controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

“He needs to disclose the contract on the book,” House Minority Whip David E. Bonior (D-Mich.) said in an interview. “He ought to make that public.”

Tony Blankley, Gingrich’s spokesman, said Saturday that the Speaker will disclose any aspects of the book arrangement required by law. Blankley said Gingrich has signed a “letter of intent” but not a finalized contract with HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

The first book, tentatively titled “To Renew America,” is to be essays by Gingrich on the GOP agenda. The second is to be essays on government by historical figures, with commentary by Gingrich.

Gingrich had sought to defuse criticism of the book deal by announcing Dec. 30 that he would not accept a $4.5-million advance offered after the November election. He has said more recently that he will accept only a $1 advance, with any other income to come from royalties derived from sales of the two books.

But controversy over the book deal has flared anew, following a report Thursday that Murdoch had met personally with Gingrich on Nov. 28--before details of the arrangement were announced on Dec. 21. Murdoch has said he was unaware of the book deal at the time of that meeting. Gingrich has said he did not know at that point that Murdoch owned HarperCollins.

Blankley has characterized the meeting as a “courtesy call.” But Bonior said a new report on the participants at the meeting raises further questions about its nature and about Gingrich’s credibility. The New York Daily News reported Saturday that Murdoch’s Washington lobbyist, Preston Padden, also attended the meeting.

Bonior acknowledged that Gingrich has not been asked publicly if a lobbyist attended the meeting, but he said the Speaker should have volunteered the information when news of the meeting first appeared.

Federal legislation and regulatory policy is of interest to Murdoch, whose empire includes the New York Post and other newspapers worldwide, plus 20th Century Fox studios and the Fox television network.

The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing allegations by rival network NBC that the ownership of Fox TV by Murdoch’s Australia-based News Corp. violates U.S. restrictions on foreign control of broadcast licenses.

The House is also set to consider legislation that could affect the network foreign-ownership restrictions, and Padden said the general issue did surface during Murdoch’s meeting with Gingrich.

Padden told The Times that he and Murdoch offered to supply Gingrich with a copy of Fox’s formal response to NBC’s allegations after it is filed with the FCC.

“NBC had been all over Capitol Hill trashing us,” he said.

The encounter occurred in the Capitol and lasted about 15 minutes, Padden said. He said Gingrich was one of 17 Republican and Democratic officials Murdoch visited during a three-day stay in Washington. Padden said a total of five people attended the meeting with Gingrich, including another Murdoch lobbyist and a legislative aide to Gingrich.

“I can tell you, categorically, Mr. Murdoch had no idea (when he met on Nov. 28 with Gingrich) that there was a book deal in the works,” Padden said.

During the past three weeks, Bonior has taken the lead among Democrats in attacking both Gingrich’s book arrangement and his collection of fees for teaching a college history course supported by a tax-exempt foundation and by a political action committee.

Bonior said he expects a House Democratic colleague, whom he declined to identify, to request that the House Ethics Committee hire an outside, nonpartisan lawyer to examine the book deal and Gingrich’s earlier speaking arrangement involving the foundation.

In an interview, Rep. Vic Fazio (D-West Sacramento), who has served eight years on the ethics panel, explained the reasons behind such a request. “Why not bring in someone of impeccable stature to look at it? Take it out of politics and find out . . . whether anything unethical or illegal has occurred.”