Hillary Clinton Email Update: Newt Gingrich Sent Foreign Policy Advice To Former Secretary Of State, Emails Show

Newt Gingrich appears to have sent foreign policy advice to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during his trip to Japan in 2009, suggest emails from Clinton's personal account -- released Friday by the State Department under the Freedom of Information Act. With a subject line of "Good news from japan newt," the former House Speaker sent a brief list of his impressions on Japanese-American relations and Japanese politics to a Clinton aide, which was then forwarded to Clinton.

The Tokyo Foundation, a Japanese policy think tank, hosted Gingrich Aug. 17 to 19 that year to deliver a talk on foreign and security policy, says a Tokyo Foundation media briefing released at the time. Gingrich then sent an email to Clinton aide Lauren Jiloty on Aug. 18, explaining he was "spending several days in meetings in Japan" and that "Secretary Clinton's visit here made a big impact."

Gingrich presumably was referring to Clinton's February 2009 trip to Tokyo to meet with former Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.

Gingrich also successfully predicted that the Japan Democratic Party would win the Japanese general election in 2009, marking the first clear change of government there since 1955.

The relatively cordial email marked a departure from the public relationship between Gingrich and Clinton. Gingrich, a Georgia Republican congressman who became House Speaker in 1994 during a conservative backlash to the Clinton administration, was a leading advocate to impeach Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal and a major proponent of numerous congressional investigations into the Clintons.

In the email, Gingrich suggested that Clinton should always visit Japan when going to and from China, as a way to strengthen the U.S.-Japanese alliance. Read the full text of the email, complete with several typos and spelling errors, below:

Spending several days in meetings in Japan Secretary Clinton's visit here made a big impact

President Obama's invitation to Prime Minister Aso as the first white house guest also made a bg impact

I built up the imortance of the new ambassador

The election aigist 30 will be historic and the Japan Democratic Party will almost cetainly win

It will be the first clear change of government since 1955

JDP leaders have begun stressing cooperation and continuity in foreign policy and the US relationship (US alliance has 75% plus support)

A pattern of alwayvisiting Japan on the way to and from China for the President and sects of state andefense would yield big emotional dividends in strengthening the alliance

Newt