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POLITICO Forums:Congress: Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson - POLITICO.com
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturdays shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.
Boehner is instead scheduled to attend a reception on Wednesday night on behalf of Maria Cino, a former top House GOP aide who is seeking the Republican National Committee chairmanship. Boehner is backing Cinos challenge to current RNC Chairman Michael Steele.
Boehners reception for Cino was first reported on Wednesday morning by POLITICO.
Senior Democrats - who to date had been impressed with Boehners response to the Arizona tragedy - expressed surprise at what they saw as an unmistakable misstep by the new speaker: appearing at a partisan political event on the same night as the the president, first lady Michelle Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Arizona congressional delegation come together at the memorial service for the victims of an attack that nearly took the life of a member of the House. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was critically wounded in Saturdays attack, while six other people died and a dozen more were wounded.
It is disrespectful for Speaker Boehner to skip joining the Presidents and bipartisan congressional delegation to the Tucson Memorial so he could host a Washington D.C. cocktail party for RNC members, said a Democratic leadership aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
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Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturdays shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.
Boehner is instead scheduled to attend a reception on Wednesday night on behalf of Maria Cino, a former top House GOP aide who is seeking the Republican National Committee chairmanship. Boehner is backing Cinos challenge to current RNC Chairman Michael Steele.
Boehners reception for Cino was first reported on Wednesday morning by POLITICO.
Senior Democrats - who to date had been impressed with Boehners response to the Arizona tragedy - expressed surprise at what they saw as an unmistakable misstep by the new speaker: appearing at a partisan political event on the same night as the the president, first lady Michelle Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Arizona congressional delegation come together at the memorial service for the victims of an attack that nearly took the life of a member of the House. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was critically wounded in Saturdays attack, while six other people died and a dozen more were wounded.
It is disrespectful for Speaker Boehner to skip joining the Presidents and bipartisan congressional delegation to the Tucson Memorial so he could host a Washington D.C. cocktail party for RNC members, said a Democratic leadership aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
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