Two top deputies to Speaker John Boehner defended on his behalf the tactic of forcing members to vote on legislation they haven’t yet read in Monday evening’s more than two-hour-long conference meeting of Republican members, one of the members challenging Boehner for Speaker told Breitbart News exclusively.
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), a candidate joining Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) to challenge Boehner for Speaker on Tuesday, told Breitbart News that he stood up and offered in conference that Republicans should not vote on legislation without having 72 hours to read it at a minimum. But Yoho (pictured) was met with fierce opposition from both House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
It got turned down. Mr. Scalise and Mr. McCarthy talked against it so it would cripple our hand, because they have to do these things short notice. But to me, that’s a lack of leadership, and that’s the whole reason we have to do what we’re doing in the House—that’s a perfect example. The argument was, well, if the bill came out with language on Tuesday at 9 o’clock at night, that would mean we would have to stay here until Friday to vote on it. Why not stay here until next week and give members more than two or three days to read a bill? These things—they’re ridiculous. The American people expect and deserve better from us, and they deserve better, and that’s why we need different leadership.
When asked about how this relates to what former Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously said about Obamacare—that members had to pass it to find out what is in it—Yoho said there is no difference between Pelosi’s or Boehner’s tactics, and every member who votes for Boehner on Tuesday will be voting for less transparency that has been happening under the status quo in Washington.
“I don’t see any difference in that, no,” Yoho said of comparisons between Pelosi and Boehner speakership tactics.
Yoho also said that he thinks there are enough members voting against Boehner to kick the speakership vote to a second ballot.
“I think you’ll see enough,” Yoho said. “We have another one who came out tonight—Curt Clawson of Florida. The phone lines are burning up with people thanking him, as mine have. We got hundreds of calls tonight just thanking us.”
They need 29 members total voting against Boehner to get there, and right now, there are 10 who publicly have pledged they will vote against him—and many more who campaigned on it but haven’t since reaffirmed their pledges. Grassroots opposition to Boehner has poured into Congress, and the Capitol Hill switchboard has been busy all day Monday.
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