Cantor careful about Issa's 'paid liar' remark
June 4th, 2013
02:10 PM ET
10 years ago

Cantor careful about Issa's 'paid liar' remark

Washington (CNN) - The number two House Republican dodged questions Tuesday about whether he agreed with House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa's use of the term "paid liar" to describe White House Press Secretary Jay Carney in a CNN interview Sunday.

Asked about Issa's comments, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor instead deflected the issue back to the White House, saying "there's been an abuse of trust on the part of this administration towards the American people. We're going to remain committed to getting to the bottom of this and let the truth come out."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will be a guest on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Pressed if the oversight chairman's comments were inappropriate, Cantor again focused on the president, "I think that what we have seen is a president that continues to try and distance himself from his administration. That has led me in past to say that if that is the case, then he is disconnected," Cantor said at a press conference with other House GOP leaders on Tuesday.

White the majority leader wouldn't comment specifically on Issa's comments, Cantor's Democratic counterpart blasted the House oversight chairman, telling reporters Issa's comment about Carney was "outrageous," "reckless," and that he owed Carney an apology.

"He ought to retract that statement unless he has specific evidence which I don't believe he does. I think it was a reckless statement and undermines his presentation as someone as a judicious leader of oversight," House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said at his weekly meeting with reporters Tuesday.

Cantor maintained it was the "the Obama IRS" that was responsible for targeting conservative groups, and stressed "we intend to try and get to truth here as to what exactly happened and get to the facts."

But as Republicans continue to argue the IRS controversy demonstrates the Obama administration unfairly targeted groups based on their political ideology, congressional investigators and an internal audit have not found any evidence at this point that the activity was directed by anyone at the White House or anyone outside the IRS.

Hoyer said it's "difficult" to trust Issa to conduct an investigation when the House oversight chairman makes what the Maryland Democrat describes as a "wild accusation."

"That indicates a real political bias on his part," Hoyer said.


Filed under: Darrell Issa • Eric Cantor
soundoff (40 Responses)
  1. Wake up People!

    It's ok, it is the norm for members of the GOP/baggers to insult any and everyone in THIS administration...... Actually it's encouraged....

    June 4, 2013 02:15 pm at 2:15 pm |
  2. California Gary

    It's the "Obama IRS" is it Mr. Cantor? He created it? He staffed it? He personally directs their daily activities does he? We never had an IRS or the current problems associated with it until Obama got elected? Is that really what you're going with? Dipstick.........

    June 4, 2013 02:22 pm at 2:22 pm |
  3. EatRunDive

    I have yet to see any reporting on how many applications for non-profit status the IRS received during the period in question, and what percentage were from conservative groups.

    This would tell us if this is a real story or just so much BS.

    June 4, 2013 02:23 pm at 2:23 pm |
  4. Arun

    The whole repubes party needs to be impeached!! They only govern to help themselves not the people who voted them in. When was the last time they actually had a vote on a real jobs bill. The only thing the repubes can bring up for a vote is getting rid of abortion rights and getting rid of obamacare!!

    June 4, 2013 02:25 pm at 2:25 pm |
  5. Guess

    One voice of reason, and it is not from mr. cantor, issa should be removed, and an outside investigator take over, but that wont happen, because the "truth" is not what the gop wants, they want you to believe the president is responsible for the irs activities, but the head oof the irs is not. really?. anyone, please google mr. issa, and you will find a crook

    June 4, 2013 02:30 pm at 2:30 pm |
  6. Armand Winter

    Issa lied about his military service and secretly met with Hezhollah.

    The House Ethics Committee will not form a special investigative panel to probe allegations that GOP Rep. Aaron Schock (Ill.) improperly solicited super PAC contributions from other Republican lawmakers, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). But it is not dropping the case either.

    An Office of Congressional Ethics report from August called for a full-scale investigation into the case. In addition, OCE found that there was “substantial reason to believe” that Schock violated federal law in seeking the contributions.

    June 4, 2013 02:33 pm at 2:33 pm |
  7. Guess

    Hypocracy at its best, issa is the crook here folks, and why is the guy in charge of tthe IRS not being held responsible? very tired of the gop campaigning everyday, allday. Im not paying for you to campaign idiots, why are you not working on jobs? the gop has dropped any pretense of trying to pass legislation, why not just run your campaign on the taxpayers dime? voter suppresion, thats stillbeing worked on, why not jobs? education? because they want a broken america, can you say they are demonstrating anything but?

    June 4, 2013 02:36 pm at 2:36 pm |
  8. Dutch/Bad Newz, VA -aka- Take Back The House -aka- No Redemption Votes

    The responsible thing to do Cantor is to tell Issa to apologize. I thought you had some say in the party. Guess not.

    June 4, 2013 02:39 pm at 2:39 pm |
  9. just sayin

    carney is paid and has been proven a liar, thus a paid liar. issa is dead on accurate in his description of him so he need do nothing. if carney and the democrats don't like it then have carney stop lying to the press and the country.

    June 4, 2013 02:41 pm at 2:41 pm |
  10. Evergreen

    The GOP party has evolved from clown car to carnival sideshow. Even though I am a democrate, I find this development to be very disturbing as I have voted for a republican on more than a couple occassions. We need at least a strong two party system. I no longer see myself ever voting for a republican again, unless they get their act together and demonstrate (by their action) how they can work for the benefit of all Americans.

    June 4, 2013 02:47 pm at 2:47 pm |
  11. Gurgyl

    Kick these both idiots. I hate both of these thugs.

    June 4, 2013 02:49 pm at 2:49 pm |
  12. Guess

    Why is the biggest criminal in politics in a position that monitors illegal activities, he is not impartial, or honest, and he is on a roll, everything is obamas fault. what about benghazi, when we finally have all the emails, in the correct chronological oreder, before they were altered, the sensationalizm is gone, no conspiracy, nothing, and why no investigation into the 60 people who died similarily under bush?

    June 4, 2013 02:56 pm at 2:56 pm |
  13. scarf

    Asked if the earth revolved around the sun, Cantor replied, "The Preseident is not engaged. We're going to get to the bottom of this and let the truth come out."

    June 4, 2013 02:57 pm at 2:57 pm |
  14. leah

    The GOP is going down the drain. Get your floaties on, Cantor...

    June 4, 2013 03:02 pm at 3:02 pm |
  15. GI Joe

    Cantor is a sneaky snake. Paul Ryan is following in his footsteps. Watch out for those two.

    June 4, 2013 03:09 pm at 3:09 pm |
  16. GI Joe

    Boehnor has no leadership over the House. He needs to loose his election next year, and we need to replace those baggers with moderate repubs or liberals.

    June 4, 2013 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |
  17. al

    Cantor cares about one thing and one thing only and that is Eric Cantor.

    June 4, 2013 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |
  18. Dutch/Bad Newz, VA -aka- Take Back The House -aka- No Redemption Votes

    GOP – Politics at all time. Governing on the back burner.

    June 4, 2013 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |
  19. Blame the President for Bureaucrats?

    If the Congress wanted the President to control the bureaucrats, then the Congress would pass legislation giving the President the power to "fire" the bureaucrats. If the President had the ability to control the bureaucrats and fire the bureaucrats, then every President would immediately fire them all, and replace them with people in their own party. Is that what you really want Republicans? You can't have it both ways. Either give the President the power to fire them all, or stop blaming the President for not being able to control them. What a joke, believing that the bureaucrats can be controlled. LOL

    June 4, 2013 03:22 pm at 3:22 pm |
  20. Chris

    I just hope the American People VOTE!!! in 2014. There is so much garbage coming out of Congress. People really need to take a stand.

    June 4, 2013 03:26 pm at 3:26 pm |
  21. Al-NY,NY

    spineless jellyfish. answer the question

    June 4, 2013 03:28 pm at 3:28 pm |
  22. Colorado

    "...congressional investigators and an internal audit have not found any evidence at this point that the activity was directed by anyone at the White House or anyone outside the IRS."

    Keep it up GOP, and you will lose your seat come 2014. Where are the JOBS JOBS JOBS!?!

    June 4, 2013 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |
  23. Rick McDaniel

    Carney has no choice but to lie........when he has no control over what he is supposed to say. He either has to lie, or quit......that's the bottom line.

    June 4, 2013 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |
  24. ladyjag

    If the GOP took time to do their job of finding JOBs for the American Public, if the GOP did their jobs, the Immigration law would get passed. If the GOP did their job, we would be better off. But since the GOP caused the Great Recession, guess they don't want to discuss that. in 2014 we can fire them, and lets fire as many as we can. in 2016 lets make sure we do not get a Republican President, in the last election they tried buy the AMERICAN VOTER, did they ever get fooled, we are smarter than they think. Cantor, lying Ryan, Paul, and a few others need to be fired.

    June 4, 2013 03:33 pm at 3:33 pm |
  25. Sniffit

    "We're going to remain committed to getting to the bottom of this and let the truth come out."

    "...and in the meantime, we're going to be all over the MSM blabbering mischaracterizations of the evidence and selling our version of the truth without any evidence so that even when the truth comes out, people are too confused to believe it."

    June 4, 2013 03:34 pm at 3:34 pm |
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