- The Washington Times - Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday there’s “zero possibility” Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are “dumb enough” to allow rules changes for the summer GOP convention that some argue could open up the potential field of candidates.

“I think we have two people who are likely to be nominated: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz,” Mr. Gingrich said on Fox Business Network. “Under the rules that Romney imposed last time, you can’t get nominated unless you can earn the votes of at least a majority of eight states. You literally can’t even get nominated. If you’re not nominated, you can’t be counted.”

“So all this speculation about somebody magically showing up — it ain’t gonna happen,” Mr. Gingrich said.

One rule passed for the 2012 convention said that a candidate had to win a majority of delegates in at least eight states to be considered for the party’s nomination. A new rules committee will come up with new rules for the 2016 convention before Cleveland, but a majority of the convention delegates have to adopt the committee’s report.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose lone win came in his home state of Ohio last month, has said the rules for the 2016 convention aren’t set in stone yet and that the rules committee is going to make those determinations.

“Over 80 percent of the delegates are going to be committed to either Trump or Cruz,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Now, do you think Trump and Cruz are going to sit there and go, oh yes, why don’t we change rules, which ironically were imposed by the Romney people for the purpose of control?”

“So the very people who designed these rules are now getting bit by the rules they set up, and there is zero possibility that Trump and Cruz are dumb enough to let them change it,” Mr. Gingrich said. “So it’s not going to happen. We’re going to play under the rules as they are now.”

• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.

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