What court docs say about 1st Gingrich split

Questions about Newt Gingrich’s three marriages and two divorces have long dogged the conservative Republican, especially once his presidential campaign started gaining traction in Iowa.
 
Now even more doubt is surrounding his first divorce after CNN uncovered documents that seem to contradict Gingrich’s story about how his first marriage ended.
 
On Gingrich’s website newt.org, in the “Answering the Attacks” section, a post by Newt’s daughter Jackie asserts that her mom, Jackie Battley Gingrich was the one who wanted the divorce after 18 years.
 
But CNN’s Alan Duke obtained the official court documents last week, and he writes: “The documents, and interviews with people close to the couple at the time, contradict the Gingrich claim about who wanted the divorce.” Duke was a reporter in Carrollton, Georgia in 1980 and covered the divorce as it happened.
 
According to Duke, CNN tried to get the open records related to the divorce recently, but was told the documents were sealed. But last week, a retired clerk said he’d put the Gingrich documents in a drawer years ago after worrying over security. Sure enough, there they were.

The legal papers, now posted online, show that it was Newt who filed the divorce complaint on July 14, 1980, in Carroll County, saying that "the marriage of the parties is irretriebably (sic) broken."

The record shows Jackie Battley Gingrich’s response: "Defendant shows that she has adequate and ample grounds for divorce, but that she does not desire one at this time."

CNN quotes a Gingrich campaign spokesman who says they're standing by their story, and while Newt may have filed the papers, it was his ex Jackie who asked for the divorce.

Check out the full story on CNN.com for interviews with people who knew Newt and Jackie Gingrich personally at the time.