Gingrich’s Freddie Mac contract made public shortly before debate

Shortly before Monday night’s critical face-off in Tampa between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, a consulting firm founded by Gingrich released a contract outlining Gingrich’s work on behalf of Freddie Mac.

The move is likely to defuse a grenade that Romney planned to lob at Gingrich during tonight’s debate at the University of South Florida. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum will also be debating.

Romney, a multimillionaire who has been facing pressure from Gingrich to release his tax returns and has argued that the former House speaker was influence-peddling, has in turn been arguing that Gingrich should release contracts related to work for the federally-backed mortgage guarantor as well as confidential documents related to a congressional ethics investigation that led to Gingrich being fined $300,000.

Gingrich has always maintained that he never lobbied for Freddie Mac but served as an advisor and historian. The documents released Monday night, first reported by the Washington Post, offer little insight. The contract is for one year of Gingrich’s firm’s work with the agency –- 2006 -- and shows the Center for Health Transformation was to be paid no more than $300,000 during the 12-month period.

Under the scope of services section, the contract says, “Consultant will provide consulting and related services as requested by Freddie Mac’s Director, Public Policy in exchange for which Freddie Mac will pay consultant $25,000 per each full calendar month during which Consultant provided Services.”

Freddie Mac’s director of public policy was Craig Thomas, who was a registered lobbyist at the time, the Washington Times reported.

Romney made a similar move when he announced that he would release his tax returns Tuesday morning, at the same time Oscar nominees are announced and hours before President Obama’s State of the Union speech.