Two Republicans who opposed House Speaker John Boehner in his bid for a third term as the chamber's leader demanded Thursday that two others be reinstated to committees from which they were removed — apparently in retaliation for not giving their support.
Citing information from The Congressional Record, Reps. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma and Thomas Massie of Kentucky charged that Florida Reps. Richard Nugent and Daniel Webster were "kicked off" the House Rules Committee.
"This retribution compromises the ability of members of Congress to faithfully represent their constituents and subverts our representative democracy," Bridenstine and Massie said in a statement.
The four representatives were among 24 Republicans who opposed Boehner's election to a third term as speaker on Tuesday. Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who also voted against the incumbent,
told Fox News on Thursday that he was barred from a committee chairmanship that he had expected to get.
Boehner’s office has denied acting against anyone who opposed the speaker’s bid. The Ohio Republican, who has been in the House since 1991, survived a similar challenge in 2012.
Bridenstine and Massie called on Boehner to "immediately reinstate" the pair. "No member should be punished for voting his or her conscience.
"We expect other members of the House of Representatives to condemn this act of political retribution," they said.