The Hill News

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), an influential and unaffiliated Rust Belt Republican, delt Newt Gingrich another blow as the former Speaker tries to shore up evaporating support before Florida's pivotal presidential primary, calling Gingrich's plan for a moon base "grandiose" and denouncing his attacks on Mitt Romney as anti-capitalist.

"I haven't made an endorsement, so I'm not going to pick a preference at this point, but I do have to say I've recently been critical of some of the things that I've seen Speaker Gingrich saying or doing in this campaign," Toomey said during an interview with Scranton radio station WILK-FM.

Toomey said he was dismayed by Gingrich's criticism of Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, which the Pennsylvania senator characterized as "attacks, really, on capitalism and free enterprise." Gingrich has knocked the former governor's time leading the venture capital firm, pointing out that Bain would sometimes make millions in consu! lting fees from companies that went bankrupt and laid off employees.

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