The Illuminati, “Obama's 'Secret Mistress,'” And Cancer “Cures”: CNN's Gingrich Has A Bizarre Email List

Subscribers to CNN host Newt Gingrich's email list are receiving supposed insider information about cancer “cures,” the Illuminati, “Obama's 'Secret Mistress,'” a “weird” Social Security “trick,” and Fort Knox being “empty.”

Gingrich Productions, the company run by the Crossfire co-host, has been sending sponsored emails from shady sources filled with dubious claims. CNN has been helping Gingrich build his list by not only employing him, but also by promoting Gingrich Productions and its website.

While Gingrich's team has previously claimed that they work hard to “vet” the organizations they rent the email list to, they have repeatedly violated their own apparently low standards.

For example, Gingrich Productions has sent at least 15 sponsored emails for Stansberry & Associates since June 2013. Stansberry is a disgraced financial firm that was fined $1.5 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for engaging in “deliberate fraud” and profiting from “false statements.” The firm sells financial products by pushing conspiracies about the Obama administration. Founder Porter Stansberry recently said it's “fucking bullshit” that people get upset at him for using slurs like “nigger” and “fag” when he's “not the least bit bigoted.”

Gingrich's team previously claimed to distance the former speaker from Stansberry after questions surfaced about a sponsored email suggesting Obama would win a third term. ABC News reported in November 2012 that “according to Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond, Stansberry & Associates should have been on the blacklist. 'We do not rent to the entity in question,' Hammond said, speaking by phone Thursday. 'In fact, we go to lengths to vet where we rent.'”

Gingrich is part of a movement where, as MSNBC's Chris Hayes noted, “much of conservatism is a con and the base are the marks.” Fox News contributor Scott Brown was recently forced to distance himself from Newsmax after he sent a sponsored email for the group touting the findings of quack Dr. Russell Blaylock. The New Republic's Ben Adler wrote in a piece about Gingrich and fellow hucksters Herman Cain and Mike Huckabee that they “are pioneering a new, more direct method for post-campaign buckraking. All it requires is some digitally savvy accomplices--and a total immunity to shame.”

Gingrich's list is primarily managed by TMA Direct. A data card on TMA's site indicates that the list contains over 400,000 emails and costs $8,000 per order. The company is headed by Mike Murray, who is also the founder and president of Gingrich's American Legacy PAC. Perhaps it's no surprise then that American Legacy has advertised on Gingrich Productions' list, and disbursed thousands of dollars to TMA.

Gingrich offers a testimonial for TMA on its website, stating: “Mike Murray and the TMA Direct team are irreplaceable strategic partners in our online and offline marketing. They bring insight and expertise that enables us to expand our communication reach and meet our business goals.”

Sign Up For Gingrich's Email List, Learn About The Illuminati And Obama's “Secret Mistress”

Though a Gingrich spokesperson claimed in 2012 that “we go to lengths to vet where we rent,” Gingrich's recent mailings are full of companies touting suspect medical “cures” and dubious financial schemes.  

The following are the subject line and quotes from some of the sponsored emails Gingrich Productions has sent to its list in the past six months.

“American Doctor Releases Cancer Cure Before Government Spies Find it.” An August 29, 2013, email from Health Revelations claims that “cancer was cured back in 1925,” and “the annual flu shot is nothing more than a BALD-FACED SCAM.” The email takes readers to a page claiming that “Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Alzheimer's” have been “DEFEATED” but suggests the government is covering up such cures.

“The Illuminati [Secret Society] Puts a Deathgrip on America.” A December 31, 2013, Wall Street Daily email claims that the “Illuminati was behind every consequential wealth event of the past year” including bitcoin. The Illuminati is a frequent player in conspiracy theories. 

“Obama's 'Secret Mistress' Exposed.” A December 12, 2013, email from Laissez Faire Club claims that “President Obama has made painstaking efforts to keep his 'secret mistress' hidden from the American public, and he has succeeded brilliantly... until now.”

“WhistleBlower: 7 Deadly Drugs the Government Wants You to Swallow.” The Health Sciences Institute claimed in a November 19, 2013, email that an “insider near Washington D.C. has just blown the lid off the 7 Deadly Drugs the U.S. Government can't wait for you to swallow.” The email assured Gingrich readers that it's not a conspiracy theory since the “whistleblower has concrete evidence 'the powers that be' are shoving pure poison down your throat... and laughing all the way to the bank.”

“Weird Trick Adds $1,000 to Social Security Checks . . .” A September 12, 2013, Newsmax Media email claimed that they've “stumbled upon this weird trick that can add $1,000 to monthly Social Security checks.” (For more on this email claim, see here.)

“Fort Knox is Empty (the Gold's Missing...).” An August 20, 2013, Wall Street Daily email claimed, “Whispers are swirling around Capitol Hill that Fort Knox is empty” and “the U.S. government has been shipping gold to nations like China (as collateral for a weak dollar).”  

“New Scandal in the White House?” A cryptic July 11, 2013, Stansberry & Associates email claimed that there's a “big new scandal brewing in the White House” and “when this scandal is ultimately exposed, it's going to have major implications not only for Barack Obama, but also for our entire country.” 

Wall Street Daily, Laissez Faire Club, and Stansberry & Associates are connected corporately through controversial parent holding company Agora, Inc., which frequently markets to conservative audiences. 

How CNN Helps Gingrich Grow His Email List

Gingrich's email list is helped by his visibility as a Crossfire host and a contributor across CNN's programming. CNN also promotes Gingrich Productions and has steered viewers to its website, where readers are immediately asked to sign up for its newsletter.

Gingrich promoted a Gingrich Productions venture on the November 4 edition of Piers Morgan Live. While Gingrich spoke, CNN displayed GingrichProductions.com on-screen during the interview. In another Piers Morgan Live interview, Gingrich and wife Callista discussed her children's book Yankee Doodle Dandy, which was produced through Gingrich Productions. At the conclusion of the interview, Morgan stated: “And for more details, you can go to Gingrichproductions.com. That sounds fantastic. Gingrichproductions.com.”        

Gingrich's official CNN biography notes his affiliation with Gingrich Productions.