Posted on 12/11/2013 11:36:39 AM PST by Gipper08
Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise has fired the group's longtime executive director, Paul Teller, multiple sources tell National Journal.
The reason for the dismissal, according to sources familiar with the situation, is that Teller allegedly shared sensitive conversations between RSC members with outside advocacy groups, some of whom hold policy positions counter to the RSC.
"No staffer is above a member," said one senior Republican aide familiar with the situation. "Paul was divulging private, member-level conversations and actively working against RSC strategies supported by House conservatives."
Teller could not immediately be reached for comment.
The move comes as Scalise, who has not stated whether he will support the budget compromised brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan, is attempting to take the temperature of his members on the agreement.
Scalise was meeting individually with top conservative lawmakers, including former RSC Chairman Jim Jordan, prior to Wednesday's RSC gathering. Jordan, who is close to Teller, initially said the meeting was about Ryan's budget agreement. But it became clear afterwards that other things, including Teller's dismissal, were discussed.
On his way into the RSC meeting, Scalise emphasized that he remained undecided on Ryan's deal. "We're going to talk about that in here," he said.
Teller, a staunch conservative with longstanding ties to outside groups opposing the deal, is accused of working behind the scenes to derail the budget agreement.
The dismissal was announced to members at Wednesday's closed-door meeting. Shortly after the caucus gathered around lunchtime, dozens of staffers were asked to leave the room, an unusual move that typically signals Scalise's desire to discuss a sensitive matter with RSC members only.
Scalise informed members at the meeting that he had asked for Teller's resignation, and that Teller accepted. But the chairman did not elaborate on why the decision was made. "If you want to discuss the details, call my office," Scalise said, according to members present.
The decision was apparently made unilaterally by Scalise. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., a member of the RSC steering committee, said she was surprised by the news of Teller's firing. "I didn't find out about it until I walked in the room," she said.
Teller joined the RSC in 2001 as legislative director, and shortly thereafter assumed the role of executive director, a position he's held for more than 10 years.
There is no immediate word on who will replace Teller as executive director, a pivotal position that helps organize weekly meetings and policy papers for the caucus of more than 170 House Republicans.
That is because conservatives are not viewed as good canidates.
You are absolutely correct, Sir!
Even in the Pence years at the helm you couldn’t count more than 20-30 (max) as actual conservatives in Congress, since then some of these formerly reliable members have gone “rotten”.
It’s amazing how the establishment GOP can play deft hardball with so-called “rogue” elements in their own conference but when it comes to Democrats, they fold like cheap suits.
Yeah. They’ll prolly replace him with Stool Pigeon....
> the group’s longtime executive director, Paul Teller... allegedly shared sensitive conversations between RSC members with outside advocacy groups, some of whom hold policy positions counter to the RSC.
Thanks Gipper08.
Let Teller be picked up by the Republican Senate Conservative Fund where he can practice punching the nose of a McConnell effigy.
We don't need leaked info to derail this crock of a budget plan.
There’s no indication what he leaked, but I suspect that he was NOT fired for betraying conservatives. Because this is not really a conservative group. It’s a fake conservative group.
The problem is that nobody has filled the shoes of Jeb Hensarling and Mike Pence.
Including Hensarling and Pence both of whom started selling out in 2007 thereabouts ...
“We don’t need leaked info to derail this crock of a budget plan.”
but for it to pass you do need Teller gone and House”conservatives” in line and no organized in house opposition. Get the firing now?
This isn’t the intelligence committee.A budget deal should be 100% transparent...
I disagree. When a group is infested by infiltrators, word must get to outside forces about who the turncoats are.
This is not a gentlemen’s club, this is fight club.
Now Teller can “tell” all. They’re be sorry and deservedly so.
He’ll become like a Schweitzer or Adams. Oh boy, this is gonna be fun!
Suggest you rethink that. How can you fold to your own organization? The gop is just one wing of the same uniparty. Conservative are the enemy, not their fellow travelers in the ‘rat wing of their own party.
Maybe the new LA congressman, Vance McAllister, can hire him. Scalise opposed McAllister’s election.
Ryan looks like Eddie Munster...and acts like him too.
He betrayed us and his country!!!
Hey. I got an idea, Stupid...I mean, Steve.
Why don't you tell those stupid Republican Senators to negotiate out in the open? Why do negotiations need to be secret?
So Ted Cruz is bad for going there and walking out on Raul Castro’s speech??
You think that scenario played out ACCIDENTALLY?
Ted Cruz plays Chess.
And I’m not saying it was a political chess move. I’m saying as Cuban on his father’s side he hates the Castros and their little clubby Commie dictatorship and he knew that Mandela’s Cuban connection would be front and center, which it was.
And this was Ted Cruz’s personal answer to Raul.
I didn’t say Cruz is bad or a RINO like some idiots do everytime a conservative does not follow the purist path. But it was bizarre and inconsistent for Cruz to walk out on Castro yet travel across the globe to honor a terrorist and necklacer. He should not have gone in the first place.
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