Romney surrogates shadow Gingrich campaign

Newt Gingrich's campaign spokesman confronted a high-profile Mitt Romney surrogate who was sent to spin reporters at a Gingrich event Friday.

Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who acts as a campaign surrogate for Mitt Romney, has become a familiar face at Gingrich's campaign stops this week, along with Florida Rep. Connie Mack. Gingrich Press Secretary R.C. Hammond has not been afraid to engage both congressmen with questions about Romney's record.

On Friday, reporters and television cameras flocked to Hammond when he made a beeline for Chaffetz at a Republican Jewish Coalition event. It was the second time in two days Hammond singled Chaffetz out.

Chaffetz dismissed Hammond's persistent inquiries about Romney voting in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary, saying he was there to answer questions from reporters.

"What are you trying to accomplish here? I'm happy to answer the questions from the accredited media," Chaffetz said.

The Romney backer said he came to the event to "offer perspective" to voters and members of the media. But when someone asked about "Obamacare" being linked too closely with the health care law implemented by Romney in Massachusetts, Chaffetz deferred to the candidate himself.

"I think he gave a great eloquent answer," Chaffetz responded, pointing to Romney's CNN debate performance. "He addressed it several times. I'll leave it in his own words."

Romney's robust presidential campaign will continue to dispatch high-profile surrogates to Gingrich events, Chaffetz said. If they win the nomination, they'll likely target President Barack Obama's campaign stops as well.

"If you think it's aggressive now, wait until he's the nominee and he's going up against Barack Obama. He's going to run a very proactive, aggressive campaign," Chaffetz said.

Gingrich has built up his Florida campaign operation in a matter of months, thanks to an injection of campaign donations and a decisive win in South Carolina. But it will be difficult for him to match Romney's fierce communications staff, the muscle behind the candidate's conference calls, opposition emails and surrogate outreach.

Chaffetz told reporters he thought Hammond's behavior was a "little immature" and "unprofessional."

Reporters asked the congressman whether it was appropriate to show up at Gingrich's campaign events. He said, "It's a perfectly acceptable thing to do."

"It is exactly what Newt Gingrich has said time and time again," said Chaffetz. "He would follow the president everywhere he went."

Chaffetz was referring to the former speaker's challenge to Obama, if he clinches the nomination, to hold several Lincoln-Douglas style debates. Gingrich has said if the president refuses, he'll travel four hours behind him to deliver a rebuttal speech. But he never said he would appear at Obama's speeches like Romney's campaign surrogates are doing.

Chaffetz used the encounter with the Gingrich spokesperson as an example of the former speaker and his campaign becoming "unhinged."

On Thursday, Gingrich was surprised to find out Romney was deploying staff to offer rebuttals to his speeches. A reporter asked him why he wasn't doing the same.

He quipped, "He doesn't say anything worth rebutting."