Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not be addressing a protest of the proposed mosque in lower Manhattan on the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
The organizers of the rally, Stop Islamization of America and Freedom Defense Initiative, announced Gingrich as one of the event’s confirmed speakers on the Web last weekend. But a spokesman for Gingrich, a possible 2012 presidential candidate, told The Hill that the former leader of the House had never confirmed his appearance. Instead, one of Gingrich’s staff had agreed to send a video message from him to be shown at the Sept. 11 rally. That has since been canceled.
“The confusion is at least partially our fault,” said Joe DeSantis, a spokesman for Gingrich. “A staff member mistakenly promised a video message, though not an appearance. However, we are not sending a video. We informed them earlier this week.” DeSantis did not comment on why Gingrich was no longer planning to send a video message to the rally, and attempts to contact the organizers of the rally were unsuccessful.
The rally’s organizers also listed Rep. Peter King, the top House Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, as being “invited” on the bill of confirmed speakers. A spokesman for King, who opposes construction of the mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, said that the lawmaker was not planning to attend, however, adding that he “will have so many 9/11 commemorations in his district” to attend on Sept. 11.
No doubt even Gingrich balked at sharing a platform with Geert Wilders. We look forward to an explanation from Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. So far, Geller’s Atlas Shrugs blog and Spencer’s Jihad Watch remain silent on the issue.