The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a conservative group of 175 House members, apologized today after a staffer sent out an inappropriate email attacking the Boehner debt plan. The email identified members of Congress the staffer believed were undecided on the debt reduction proposal offered by the speaker.
RSC members today chanted, “Fire him!” at the staffer during their meeting this morning.
The Politico reported:
House Republicans on Wednesday morning were calling for the firing of the Republican Study Committee top staffer after he was caught sending e-mails to conservative groups urging them to pressure GOP lawmakers to vote against a debt proposal from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
Infuriated by the e-mails from Paul Teller, the executive director of the RSC, members started chanting “Fire him, fire him!” while Teller stood silently at a closed-door meetings of House Republicans.
“It was an unbelievable moment,” said one GOP insider. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Teller and other RSC aides sent a Tuesday e-mail to outside conservatives seeking to “kill the Boehner deal.” The RSC emails were sent to a listserv with conservative activists.
“We need statements coming up to the Hill every hour of the day in mounting opposition to the plan,” RSC staffer Wesley Goodman wrote to a Google email group called “CutCapBalance.” That group included Teller.
RSC Chairman Jim Jordan (Ohio), who opposes the Boehner plan, apologized for the incident.
Teller did not respond to a request for comment following the GOP Conference meeting.
In a brief interview with POLITICO Wednesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said he’s “an RSC member and I don’t like to see Republicans attacking other Republicans.”
Barack Obama still does not have a plan.