Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was very upset with the news that Speaker John Boehner was resigning from Congress.
King told CNN:
“I was extremely disappointed. I think we need John Boehner as speaker. I think he did an outstanding job. I think he was treated very badly by people in our party… I think it’s like throwing raw meat to some of these people… I think it signals that crazies have taken over the party.”
What a disgrace.
Newsday reported:
Rep. Peter King called Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to resign under pressure from disgruntled conservative GOP members “a victory for the crazies.”
After Boehner made the surprising announcement Friday morning, King (R-Seaford) said, “I’m disappointed. John was as effective a speaker as you could find under these circumstances.”
King blamed the GOP bloc called the House Freedom Caucus, which includes 30 to 40 conservative members who have pressed Boehner to deny funding for the government over issues such as abortion and threatened to challenge his leadership in a vote this fall.
King, considered a moderate, said the fight among House Republicans in the weeks ahead over who will succeed Boehner as speaker will be “a real battle for the soul of the party.”
But Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), who is more closely aligned with the conservative bloc, said, “I am confident that with the speaker’s resignation, our conference will come out of this stronger, more united and more effective.”