Newt Hits Ron Paul Over Controversial Newsletters

Ron Paul has faced some scrutiny recently over a series of newsletters, issued under his name, which included racist, homophobic, and anti-Israel references. Already, many commentaters have questioned his involvement with these letters -- even if he didn't author the notes, he made over a million dollars off of them.

But now, add another high profile critic: fellow candidate Newt Gingrich. He echoed many of the concerns others have raised:

"I think that Congressman Paul has to explain his own situation and how he could have had a decade of newsletters that had his name on it that he apparently wasn't aware of," Gingrich said.

"I think that somebody should say to him 'OK, how much money did you make from the newsletters?' These things are really nasty, and he didn't know about it? Wasn't aware of it? But he's sufficiently ready to be president? It strikes me it raises some fundamental questions about him."

A direct-mail solicitation for Paul's political and investment newsletters in the 1990s warned of a "coming race war in our big cities" and of a "federal-homosexual cover-up" to play down the impact of AIDS.

The eight-page letter, which appears to carry Paul's signature at the end, also warns that the U.S. government's redesign of currency to include different colors - a move aimed at thwarting counterfeiters - actually was part of a plot to allow the government to track Americans using the "new money."

As an Iowa frontrunner, it's natural for Ron Paul to face heightened scrutiny -- as have the other candidates -- but this marks the first fellow candidate calling out for some clarity on the situation. Time will tell what effect these newsletters have on Paul's campaign, and his efforts in socially-conservative Iowa.