Taking this with a grain of salt is giving it too much credence. It’s the statement of one Congressman – a Democrat – who, as Brian Faughnan explains, would have a reason to place the blame elsewhere.
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler says he believes Republican presidential candidate John McCain blocked his immigration bill from getting a vote on the U.S. House floor. McCain’s staff denies it.
The Waynesville Democrat spoke to the Rotary Club of Hendersonville on Tuesday. He said the Republican leadership tried to bring the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement Act to the House floor. They used a provision of House rules called a discharge petition, in which a simple majority can bring to the floor a bill that is stuck in committee.
The petition had 181 of the 217 signatures needed to force a vote on the bill…
McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, called Republicans in Congress and asked them not to sign the petition, Shuler said. He said after McCain’s intervention, Republicans in the House were less willing to sign onto the bill.
The final signature count make-up? 172 Republicans out of 198 members in the House. Democrats got just 9 signatures. As Faughnan notes, we know there’s pressure from top liberal Dems not to sign the measure.
Team McCain isn’t ignoring the accusation, but flatly denying it. We’ve heard nothing about it from Rep. Tom Tancredo, who could give a rat’s ass if McCain is the nominee or not.
Until we have any further confirmation or sources backing up Shuler’s claim, don’t get too fired up.
by Stephan Tawney on Thu, Mar 27, 2008