In the sport of mudslinging timing is everything.  And Mitt Romney is breathing a sigh of relief as ABC’s report detailing his attempt to initiate an open marriage between his ex-wife (his current wife at the time) and current wife (his mistress at the time) hit headlines just in time to draw attention away from his admittance to multiple offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.  Tax evasion just doesn’t seem to pique the interests of the American population the same way a spousal approved Ménage à Trois does..

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) — Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich asked for an “open marriage” amid an affair with former congressional aide and current wife, Callista, according to an interview with his second wife, Marianne Gingrich, that is to be aired on ABC News tonight.

Gingrich, of Georgia, asked if she would share him with Callista, Marianne Gingrich said in the interview.

“And I just stared at him and he said, ‘Callista doesn’t care what I do,’” she said in her first televised interview since their 1999 divorce. “He wanted an open marriage and I refused.”

The interview is being aired two days before the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina and on the same day as the final debate in the state before the vote. Gingrich is challenging front-runner Mitt Romney for the nomination along with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.

Gingrich, speaking today in Beaufort, South Carolina, said, “I’ve been very open about mistakes I have made. I’ve been very open about needing to go to God for forgiveness and to seek reconciliation.”

Later, on a South Carolina radio call-in show, he called the interview with his ex-wife “very sad” and said her statements are “just plain untrue.” He also said that his two daughters by his first wife and four or five close friends “are all willing to be witness to protest it.”

Just in case you were having trouble following his efficacious love life, here’s a little illustration of his wives/mistresses in relation to his time in office.. just to clear things up.

via Ex-Wife Says Gingrich Wanted ‘Open Marriage,’ ABC Reports – Businessweek.