A number of House Freedom Caucus members have been engulfed in controversy over the past week, amid reports the hardline conservative group is preparing to moderate its demand for steep government spending cuts. This raises questions about its continued relevance within a deeply divided congressional Republican Party.
On Wednesday, text messages from Scott Perry, the Freedom Caucus' chair, sent in the aftermath of Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election defeat were made public by a court. They revealed Perry's involvement in discussions about overturning Joe Biden's victory. One day earlier, James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee and another Freedom Caucus member, was described as suffering "an epic humiliation" after he refused Hunter Biden's request for an open hearing on December 13.
However, Thomas Gift, an associate professor who heads up the Centre on U.S. Politics at King's College London, U.K., told Newsweek this is not unusual claiming for the caucus "the occasional (or even frequent) slip-up is just the cost of doing business."
Comer turned down Hunter's request for his appearance before the committee on December 13 to be public, saying the president's son was "trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else."
However, this sparked intense criticism from Democrats. Oversight Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin said it was an "epic humiliation," adding that it shows the Republicans aren't confident in their case.
Raskin said: "After the miserable failure of their impeachment hearing in September, Chairman Comer has now apparently decided to avoid all Committee hearings where the public can actually see for itself the logical, rhetorical and factual contortions they have tied themselves up in. The evidence has shown, time and again, President Biden has committed no wrongdoing, much less an impeachable offense.
"Chairman Comer's insistence that Hunter Biden's interview should happen behind closed doors proves it once again. What the Republicans fear most is sunlight and the truth," Raskin added.
The following day, court filings revealed the messages Perry sent after the 2020 election including a discussion with Jeffrey Clark, a Trump-appointed official at the Department of Justice, about getting him installed as attorney general. Perry also said there was credible information about irregularities in the Pennsylvania ballot. He asked whether "anyone in the senate has the courage to fight" against Biden's election win. In a statement provided to CNN, Jack Rowley, Perry's attorney, described the release of his messages as unfortunate.
Referring to Perry, Rowley said: "The communications reflect his efforts to understand real-time information about the 2020 election. They were confidential and intended to address critical business before Congress in service of his constituents."
Also on Wednesday, Perry reportedly told journalists that the Freedom Caucus is moderating its demands for sharp government spending cuts. He said the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) agreed earlier this year between President Biden and then speaker Kevin McCarthy as "the limit" for discussions. Perry said, according to The Hill: "It's still too much for many of us, but [what] was agreed to around Memorial Day was this FRA number of $1.59 trillion. No more gimmicks: Most of the House voted for it; most of the Senate voted for it. That's where we have to be."
Newsweek has contacted the House Freedom Caucus for comment via its online inquiry form.
Gift told Newsweek some level of disruption is the norm, and may even be the intention, when it comes to the caucus. He said: "Of all the things the Freedom Caucus still has to lose, its reputation isn't one of them. It's burned through that bridge long ago. There's no doubt many of these far-right members continue to embarrass themselves. But none of that seems to much matter to voters in highly gerrymandered districts where virtually no candidate faces a serious general election challenge.
"The Freedom Caucus is all about generating chaos; torching the system, turning Washington on its head, and upending the normal rules of politics. For its members, the more chaos the better, and the occasional, or even frequent, slip-up is just the cost of doing business," Gift added.
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The House Freedom Caucus Is in Disarray - Newsweek
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