Cornyn criticizes Gingrich … before Gingrich helps him raise money

Lost in the hoopla over NRSC Chairman John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) criticism of Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh is that fact the one of these men is set to help him raise lots of money.

Speaking on NPR on Thursday, Cornyn called Gingrich’s and Limbaugh’s labeling of Sotomayor as racist “terrible” and diminished them by noting that they aren’t “elected Republican officials.”

But on June 8, Gingrich is the headliner for one of the biggest GOP fundraisers of the election cycle, where the NRSC and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) will raise millions.

At the least, it could lead to some awkward moments. But for now, it doesn’t sound like Gingrich has hard feelings.

He’s out of the country, but his spokesman, Rick Tyler, noted that Gingrich’s comments–which came from his Twitter feed–are only part of a much larger conversation.

“A lot of people are commenting on 140 characters (Twitter’s character limit), but I think there will be a lot more to be said on the topic” of Sotomayor, Tyler said.

To recap, here’s a transcript of Cornyn’s comments on Gingrich:

Q: We’ve heard Rush Limbaugh and the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calling Sonia Sotomayor a racist, saying she should withdraw. What do you make of the rhetoric that’s tumbling out these days?

A: I think it’s terrible. This is not the kind of tone that any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advice and consent.

Q: Do you worry that language like that harms the discussion? Harms your party’s image– especially among Hispanics, where the Republican Party’s been losing ground lately?

A: Neither one of these men are elected Republican officials. I just don’t think it’s appropriate. I certainly don’t endorse it. I think it’s wrong.

-Aaron Blake