
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994                   TAG: 9411140091
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

GINGRICH ACTION QUERIED

In an eight-page letter, the House Ethics Committee has asked Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who is expected to be the next speaker of the House, to explain the connections between a Republican political action committee he runs and a college course he taught.

The course, which Gingrich taught at Kennesaw State College in Marietta, Ga., last year, examined contemporary political issues through a conservative lens.

But Ben Jones, the Democrat Gingrich defeated in the general election on Tuesday, said in a complaint being reviewed by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct that the real purpose of the course might have been to spread partisan theories and to encourage students to join and work for the Republican Party.

Gingrich had gone before the Ethics Committee in early 1993 seeking approval to teach the class. At that time, he said the material would have no partisan bias.

Saturday, he repeated that statement on the CNN program ``Evans and Novak.'' ``This is the most bizarre thing I've been involved in in my career,'' he said. He also denied that there were any links between his course and the Republican political action committee, called GOPAC, he has run since 1986.

Gingrich said that a ``fairly large amount of financing'' was needed to make the course available on television and on video. ``Now, GOPAC provided some initial ideas on who might be interested in financing the course,'' he said. ``That's all they did.''

His spokesman, Tony Blankley, said Saturday that Gingrich intended to respond to the Ethics Committee's questions in time for that group's next meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 29.

``It is a completely bogus allegation filed by his political opponent and totally politically motivated,'' Blankley said. The committee has not yet ruled on whether to proceed with a preliminary inquiry. A decision on that is expected to be made when the 14-member body, composed in equal parts of Democrats and Republicans, meets later this month, said a lawyer familiar with the committee's review.

Jones, in filing his complaint with the committee, submitted a sheaf of documents that the Ethics Committee is now reviewing.

by CNB