Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has been accused of resorting to "intimidation tactics" when he kicked conservative GOPers who opposed his reelection off the Rules Committee.
Two of the 25 Republicans who voted against Boehner on Tuesday have been dismissed from the Rules Committee - Florida Reps. Dan Webster and Richard Nugent, reported The Hill.
Webster ran against Boehner for the speaker position and even distributed fliers detailing how he would better adhere to the House rules than Boehner, Politico reported. Webster ended up receiving 12 votes from conservative lawmakers, more than any other challenger.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who voted for Webster to replace Boehner, accused the speaker of using "intimidation tactics," posting on Twitter, "Boehner kicked Webster and Nugent off Rules Committee 4 voting against Boehner. No room for intimidation tactics. I stand w/them."
Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., also said he was removed from a chairmanship after he announced he would vote against Boehner for speaker, The Hill reported.
"I tweeted out [that I wouldn't vote for Boehner] and an hour later they called me and said, 'you worked real hard but the leadership team wouldn't let it happen,'" Huelskamp told The Hill.
Another Republican defector targeted by Boehner was Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, who said he was originally supposed to be the sponsor of a noncontroversial Science, Space and Technology Committee bill to establish a Department of Energy research program on low-dose radiation.
"The congressman was supposed to introduce the Low-Dose Radiation Research Act," Weber spokeswoman Courtney Weaver said in an email to The Hill.
But when the bill was introduced to the House floor on Tuesday, Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., was the sponsor of the bill instead.
House Republican leadership is reviewing the list of members who voted against Boehner, as well as those who opposed the $1.1 trillion spending package from December, in a process that top Republican sources said could take months to unfold, according to Politico.
"If you cannot vote your conscience ... then it's clearly a dysfunctional system here," King told Politico.
