"As a successful politician who's considering running for president, who would set the bar for moral conduct and be the voice of the American people, how do you reconcile this hypocritical interpretation of the religious values that you so vigorously defend?" Friedman asked.
Taken aback, Gingrich tried to deflect the question before an audience of about 800, Politico reported.
"I'll bet almost everybody here can gather the thrust of your question," he said. "I appreciate the delicacy and generosity in the way it was framed . . . I hope you feel better about yourself.
"I've had a life which, on occasion, has had problems," he added. "I believe in a forgiving God, and the American people will have to decide whether that's their primary concern.
"If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant.
"If the primary concern of the American people is the future . . . that's a debate I'll be happy to have with your candidate or any other candidate if I decide to run."
The Social Planning and Events Committee hosted the event held in the Irvine Auditorium. It was slated to be a discussion with Gingrich about American politics and the global transformation.
Gingrich has publicly acknowledged that in the 1990s he had an affair with a staffer who ultimately became his third wife and during that same period that he was pushing for former President Bill Clinton to be impeached following news of his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
An Esquire profile last year aired all of Gingrich's dirty laundry which included another affair in which he cheated on his first wife with his second. All of which is sure to be problematic especially if he decides to run for president. For more on what happened during Gingrich's speech at Penn, click here.
