GOP Leaders Threatened To Strip Barton's Seniority For BP Apology

[laughingliberal]

House Republican leadership threatened to strip Rep. Joe Barton's seniority on the Energy and Commerce Committee if the Texas Republican didn't immediately retract an apology he had issued to BP earlier on Thursday, a GOP leadership aide told HuffPost.

His post, however, is still not secure.

Barton is the highest-ranking Republican on the committee and stands to become its chairman if Republicans regain control of the House following the elections in November. He was called into a meeting with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and slammed for issuing the apology.

"Barton met with Boehner and Cantor this afternoon. He was told, 'Apologize, immediately. Or you will lose your position, immediately. Now that he has apologized, we'll see what happens going forward," said the leadership aide

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/17/gop-leaders-threatened-to_n_616374.html

When you've gone too far for Republican leadership, you've accomplished a real feat.

[mrJJ]

1. The threat was a show for the gullible

What GoBP Barton blurted out was a talking point of the Republican Study Committee

How Joe Barton Managed To Have A Worse Day Than Tony Hayward

snip

It's worth nothing that the leaders have not condemned a statement put out yesterday by the Republican Study Committee, a conservative bloc of more than 100 House members led by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), that called the escrow account a "Chicago-style political shakedown." Nor has the RSC apologized. However, by Thursday evening the release appeared to have been removed from the RSC's site, replaced with the message "We are sorry, but this document is not published."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/how-joe-barton-managed-to-have-a-worse-day-than-tony-hayward.php?ref=fpi

The RSC Memo

http://rsc.tomprice.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=191125

Republican Study Committee Members

http://rsc.tomprice.house.gov/aboutrsc/memberlist.htm
more