Posted on 07/27/2015 6:44:22 PM PDT by VinL
With tensions rising within his conference, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell summoned Republicans for a closed-door meeting Monday night for what was expected to be a fraught session.
The meeting is expected to focus, in part, on a private email an aide to Sen. Mike Lee sent to conservative activists saying that a complicated Obamacare repeal procedural vote “should be scored” against any senator who opposes it. That means that it would be a counted as a mark against them among conservatives in their next election.
Lee wants to invoke a rare Senate procedure in order to pass a repeal of the health care law on a majority vote. That process has prompted major concerns from Senate Republican leaders, who believe it could gut the chamber’s rules. But their bigger concern is that a senator would work with outside groups to attack fellow Republicans.
Another Lee aide, Conn Carroll, said his boss apologized to McConnell when he learned of the email.
“This email is not how Senator Lee does business,” Carroll said. “As soon as Senator Lee found out about the email he contacted McConnell, met with him, and apologized.”
The email was sent Friday by Rachel Bovard, a senior aide on the conservative Senate Steering Committee that Lee chairs. She detailed how Lee planned to push for a vote to circumvent a filibuster.
“That’s the real vote that should be scored,” she wrote.
Bovard did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Brian Darling, a former senior aide to Rand Paul who helps administer the conservative email list, said it’s largely comprised of libertarian-leaning activists. He said that Bovard was not coordinating any effort and that she was simply responding to questions about complex Senate procedures.
“These were casual conversations,” Darling said. “It was not a coordinated effort.”
On Monday night, Lee (R-Utah) offered to stop his effort if Republican leaders would commit to using the budget reconciliation process to repeal Obamacare.
But GOP leaders have warned that it may be impossible to use the majority-vote budget maneuver to repeal the health care law because of rules prohibiting the use of reconciliation on anything that would increase the deficit.
Lee left the session with fellow GOP senators after an hour but declined to comment.”I’m not doing any hallway interviews,” he told reporters.
The move comes as McConnell has been accused by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) of lying about his legislative priorities, specifically involving the Export-Import Bank. Cruz and Lee are close friends and political allies. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/lee-aides-email-rankles-senate-gop-leaders-120698.html#ixzz3h97h2AYA
What do you expect, roses?
The "accusing" is always mentioned.
The FACT that McConnell really did lie is somehow over looked.
Lying? No big deal.
Telling the truth about a liar? Shocking! Beyond the pale! I can't believe you did that!!
Too late McConstipated, Folks who don’t normally pay attention are watching you.
The rinos and the repub-e’s will never repeal obbummer care.
It is the biggest fund raiser they have ever had.
How many times have we received form letters from repub-e’s begging for money so they can repeal obummer care? I sure have received a lot of them
Kind'a like MY idea that the USSC evaporated the "wall of separation" the state so loves to hammer us with, when they determined gay marriage was exactly, identically, and perfectly EQUAL to heterosexual marriage
Marriage, being traditionally, for thousands and thousands of years of human history and the hundreds of American years, being the purvue of the church .... is now the same as the state
POOF ... no wall !
Why apologize, Mike? Don't give Mumbles the satisfaction!
Lot of folks say Roberts was blackmailed—— but I think you’re on the right track- he was just doing the will of his benefactors.
I am trying to think of one thing Mitch, Boehner and their clowns have blocked Obama on. Is there anything they kept Obama from doing?
Mitch and Boehner have had power. What is one thing they’ve blocked Obama from doing?
Obamacare is costing us billions. How can its repeal increase the deficit?
Any connection to misters in KY not allowed to call gay a sin with this turd? I would bet money on it.
Why would repealing Democratcare increase the deficit?
Guess those voters who want some action from conservatives should vote for Rachel Bovard. We have a president who ignores the laws he doesn’t like and makes his own laws when he wants, and Sen. Lee acts like a timid mouse, so worried about offending the dictator from KY. Pitiful.
0bama has not be able to stop being the Gun Salesman of the Year every year of late.
Remember Denny Haster..
Creative accounting. With enough tricks they could probably show that 10 minus 2 = 11. /s
Another worthless RINO.
Chris McDaniel (R-MS) was unavailable for comment.
-PJ
Lee is not doing it right if it’s only rankling McConnell.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
