Gingrich demands Obama fire Interior secretary

Newt Gingrich turned his sights on Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, calling for his replacement less than 24 hours after making a similar demand of President Obama to fire Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

"If the president would replace Dr. Chu with one of the people who has developed North Dakota Oil and then replace the secretary of the Interior with one of the people who has developed North Dakota Oil, in about 90 days you would have a revolution in developing oil and gas in the United States," said Gingrich while campaigning in Georgia, according to Fox News.

Gingrich has been passionately advocating his energy proposal, which he claims would reduce gas prices to $2.50 per gallon, on the campaign trail in recent weeks. His campaign bought ad time in multiple states to air a 30-minute speech Gingrich gave on the subject, and Gingrich himself has encouraged volunteers to approach potential voters while they are filling up at gas stations.

On Thursday, Gingrich said President Obama should replace Energy Secretary Chu because he argued in congressional testimony that his department should focus efforts on long-term energy diversification and reducing American dependence on oil, rather than simply driving down oil prices.

“Just this week, Obama’s own Energy secretary, Steven Chu, admitted what we all know is true — that the Obama Energy Department really isn’t trying to lower gasoline prices,” Gingrich said while campaigning Thursday in Georgia.

“President Obama must announce today in his Nashua address that he is firing Secretary Chu and replacing him with a pro-American-energy appointment. If he doesn’t, then the American people will know the president is still committed to his radical ideology, which wants to artificially raise the cost of energy.”

Gingrich also released a new ad Friday that blasts President Obama for unseasonably high gas prices.

Many experts say federal policymakers have few options to lower gas prices in the short term. Gas prices are largely tethered to oil prices, which are set on global markets. Even a dramatic expansion of domestic oil-and-gas leasing would have little short-term effect on gas prices, they have said.

President Obama said last week that Republicans were exploiting the issue for political gain.

“Only in politics do people root for bad news, do they greet bad news so enthusiastically,” Obama said.

“You pay more and they’re licking their chops. And you can bet since it’s an election year, they’re already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas — I’ll save you the suspense: Step one is drill, step two is drill and then step three is keep drilling.”

Salazar now joins an increasingly long list of Obama Cabinet officials Gingrich believes should resign. In addition to Chu — whom Gingrich had previously said should resign in the aftermath of government loans to failed green energy company Solyndra — the former House Speaker has suggested Attorney General Eric Holder should resign over his handling of terrorism-related cases.

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