The Hill News

Now that Mitt Romney has decided to release his tax returns, the focus can go on to "bigger and more important things," Newt Gingrich said.

"I think that's a very good thing that he's doing," Gingrich said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. "And I commend him for it and I think it's the exactly the right thing to do and as far as I'm concerned, that particular issue's now set aside and we can go on and talk about other bigger and more important things. "

Earlier on Sunday Romney announced that he would release his tax returns on Tuesday. Recently, critics on the left and the right have accused Romney of trying to avoid releasing his tax returns because he has something to hide. Romney had been hesitant to say when he would release the returns, even as he was repeatedly asked when he would and why hadn't yet.

In announcing his plans to release the returns, Romney said it had become a distraction.

"I think we made a mistake holdin! g off as long as we did," Romney said on Fox News Sunday. "It was a distraction. We want to get back to the real issues of the campaign."

In the same interview, Gingrich, coming off a decisive win in the South Carolina Republican primary, said South Carolina voters had voiced their opinion on the former House Speaker's past conduct. Just before the Palmetto State primary, Gingrich's second ex-wife, Marianne, said Gingrich had asked for an open marriage when the two were together. Gingrich's marital background has been seen by some as a liability for his candidacy.

"I think the people of South Carolina did just that. And they did it by a huge margin. And they repudiated the effort to go back and drag up things, particularly at the opening of a national debate," Gingrich said. "Last night, on stage, Callista and I were on stage. We have a wonderful marriage. My two daughters and their husbands were there. They're tremendous supporters."

Gingr! ich won the primary with 40 percent of the vote, beating Mitt ! Romney w ith about 27 percent and Rick Santorum with 17 percent.