Gingrich not a lobbyist?

This story, http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/193971-gingrich-denies-lobbying-says-only-offered-freddie-mac-strategic-advice, is about former Speaker of the House and
current Republican Presidential primary candidate Newt Gingrich.  Mr. Gingrich has on multiple occasions
claimed that the collapse of the housing market and the countries current
economic troubles are to be blamed on The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation,
also known as Freddie Mac.  Freddie Mac
is a public government sponsored entity meant to increase the supply of money
available for mortgage lending and increasing the money available for new home
purchases.  Freddie Mac bought mortgages
on the secondary market and pooled them to sell as mortgage backed security to
investors on the open market.  Since campaigning
to be the Republican presidential candidate Mr. Gingrich has been condemning the
practices of Freddie Mac and the public officials that have supported
them.  This story deals with the fact
that since making his accusations against Freddie Mac it has come to light that
Mr. Gingrich  was paid millions of
dollars by Freddie Mac to “build bridges” with members of Congress, using his
connections as a former representative and Speaker of the House.  This would make him a lobbyist, which has
come to be regarded by the public as a negatively affecting government and government
policy making.  Since the release of this
information Gingrich has been telling any interviewer that will listen that he
was never a lobbyist for Freddie Mac and that the huge fees his firm collected
from Freddie Mac were for his being a strategic consultant and historian for
the organization.

Gingrich seems to be attempting to move away from
the idea of ever having been a lobbyist to a more abstract and general view of
only being a consultant.  In apologia this
is considered transcendence, where one attempts to get away from the particulars
of a charge and closer to an abstract or general idea connected to the charges.