Fred Thompson endorses Newt Gingrich (VIDEO)

Fred Thompson, former Tennessee senator, has endorsed Newt Gingrich for Republican presidential candidate in 2012, Fox News reported.

While on “Hannity,” the Sean Hannity talk show on Fox News, Thompson made his formal endorsement for Gingrich, who just won the Republican primary in South Carolina.

“…I have come to the growing realization for me anyway that Newt Gingrich is the guy who can articulate what America is all about,” Thompson said on Fox. “American exceptionalism can make the case and not just read the talking points or do it off the teleprompter.”

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Thompson ran for the GOP seat in the 2008 presidential election, eventually falling to John McCain. He dropped out of the race after taking third place in the South Carolina primary, The New York Times reported.

He was also known for his role on the television series, “Law & Order,” before becoming a politician, the New York Daily News reported.

“I came to Washington in 1995 in part because of what was going on in the country right now that had generated in large part by the leadership of Newt Gingrich,” Thompson said on “Hannity.” “He conceived and carried out really a revolution in American politics at that time. We were able to balance the budget for about four years in a row, pass welfare reform and begin to rebuild a depleted military. These things can be done, but we can't be apologetic about it or be tentative about it.”

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