Campaign

Former rep says he’s promised prized committee spot, but Ryan aide says no

by Ben Kamisar - 02/09/17 1:04 PM ET

With former Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo leaving his House spot to run the CIA, former Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) sees a chance in Thursday’s special election to win back his old job.

Tiahrt is running in part on an alleged promise from House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that, if elected, he’ll be able to return to the powerful House Appropriations Committee on which he once served.

There’s one problem, though: House GOP aides have shot down any suggestion that Ryan made such a promise.

The chance at having a representative holding a seat on the high-profile committee would be an important factor for Republican delegates to consider ahead of Thursday night’s local primary convention, where 126 district delegates will choose the party’s nominee ahead of a general election.

Tiahrt has mentioned the alleged promise repeatedly during the campaign to replace Pompeo. In one instance, Tiahrt sent delegates a mailer earlier this month that specifically outlined it.

{mosads}“Speaker Paul Ryan wrote that I would retain my seniority as 97 of 435 giving Kansas a great advantage in many ways, including a position on the powerful Appropriations Committee,” he wrote.

But the arrangement suggested by Tiahrt, if true, would raise eyebrows about Ryan’s willingness to get involved in a race that also includes Alan Cobb, a former Trump campaign aide backed by allies of the president.

Senior House Republican sources contacted by The Hill dispute the idea of a promise from the Speaker to Tiahrt.

“We are not able to promise seats to candidates, particularly in primaries,” a Ryan aide told The Hill.

Another senior House GOP aide added that they have “no knowledge” of a deal to bring Tiahrt back to the committee if he wins the April 11 special election.

That aide said that there is precedent for lawmakers to have their seniority honored once they return to the House. But committee memberships are chosen by the Steering Committee. Besides, the Appropriations Committee roster is already full for the current Congress.

While that doesn’t preclude Tiahrt from returning to the committee with seniority once committee rosters are reevaluated—assuming he wins Thursday’sprimary, April’s special election and wins reelection in 2018—it does all but closes the door to an immediate return to the prominent committee.

Tiahrt did not respond to multiple requests to comment from The Hill throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday.

But he’s mentioned the alleged promise multiple times during his campaign.

Besides the mailer, The Wichita Eagle notes that Tiahrt pitched his seniority — eight terms in Congress — during a forum last week in Wichita.

“He said he could land on the appropriations committee while his opponents ‘would get what’s left over from the freshman class,’” the story reads.

Tiahrt even took to Facebook to post what he said was an email from Ryan’s office as proof of the agreement. In that email, a Ryan staffer told Tiahrt he would be “awarded credit for your prior terms of service” and added that he could be placed “wherever your prior service left you on the committee.”

But a source familiar with the conversation told The Hill that the discussion was about how Tiahrt’s prior service would be counted if he returns, not about promising a specific committee seat.

Tiahrt spent eight terms in Congress from 1995 to 2010 making his way onto the Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees on Defense as well as Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.

But he chose to vacate his seat in 2010 to run for the Republican Senate nomination for the open seat vacated by Sam Brownback. Tiahrt lost that primary to fellow Kansas Republican Rep. Jerry Moran, who went onto win the seat, a loss that forced Tiahrt into a premature retirement.

Tiahrt’s bid for Pompeo’s seat pits him against a field that includes Kansas Treasurer Ron Estes and Cobb, a Trump campaign aide who served in various roles throughout the real estate magnate’s campaign.

Tags Jerry Moran Mike Pompeo Paul Ryan Ron Estes