An
11th-hour Republican political coup plot against U.S. House Speaker John Boehner
was bigger than previously thought, Roll Call reported Sunday.
The
Washington publication said it learned that the effort by a band of conservative
House members was abandoned just a half-hour before last week's floor vote to
re-elect the Ohio congressman to the top leadership post when they came up one
vote shy of their 25-member goal.
While
only 17 votes were needed to force a second ballot they hoped would lead to
others joining them, the mutineers backed off when one unidentified member
jumped ship, Roll Call said.
"There
was an effort to get to a particular number," a Republican member who voted for
Boehner but knew of the effort to overthrow him told the
publication.
The
rebel group's plan was to put forth a collection of names rather than a single
person to avoid potential speaker candidates being pegged as
instigators.
Roll
Call said its sources said two senior Republicans the plotters hoped would
emerge as leaders, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Financial
Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, had earlier refused to join
in.
About
half of the group either voted against Boehner or abstained, and Boehner, who
has struggled to maintain cohesion among the various wings of his party through
difficult budget negotiations, was re-elected. UPI
AGB/HJ
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