House GOP Gleeful Over Daschle’s Tax Troubles

House Republicans, on their retreat at the Homestead Resort this past weekend, erupted in laughter and applause at dinner on Friday night after Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced the news of former Sen. Tom Daschle’s (D-S.D.) tax troubles.

Cantor pointed out that Democrats don’t care about raising taxes because they don’t bother to pay them to themselves, according to two sources.

General outrage over Daschle’s failure to pay three years of taxes on a private limo service spread among members of the minority party, several aides said. That outrage prompted Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) to call for Daschle to withdraw his nomination.

“[Democrats] want to raise taxes, but they don’t pay taxes,” the Georgia Republican said in an interview with The Hill. “That was the start of the initiative that we need to sit down write a letter and let the president know our feelings on it.”

Daschle withdrew his nomination on Tuesday.

-Molly K. Hooper