Ron Paul: Gingrich profited on taxpayers’ dime

Newt Gingrich maintains his record in the private sector did not include lobbying. But rival Ron Paul charged that he had personally profited from taxpayers’ money in his work for Freddie Mac.

“He was earning a lot of money from Freddie Mac while I was fighting over a decade to try to explain to people where the housing bubble was coming from,” Paul said during the GOP debate in Iowa. “I think you probably got some of our taxpayers’ money.”

Gingrich and Mitt Romney entered tonight’s debate as arguably the two leading candidates. But the other candidates are still very much alive in Iowa, and joined Romney in taking on the new front-runner.

On his past support for a federal healthcare mandate, former Sen. Rick Santorum said to Gingrich, “You strayed on that issue as you strayed on others.”

“Your record is important,” Santorum added. “You can’t talk about whether someone’s consistent unless you look at their record.”

Rep. Michele Bachmann said neither Gingrich nor Romney could be counted on.

“Are they honestly going to get rid of it in 2012?” Bachmann asked, in reference to President Obama’s healthcare law. “I don’t think so!”