Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, had an angry confrontation with House Speaker Paul Ryan after confusion erupted over which version of an piece of immigration legislation the House of Representatives was set to vote on, with Meadows later claiming in a statement that “the leadership compromise bill omitted key provisions that had been agreed upon beforehand.”
WATCH: (Clip 1/2) Exchange between @SpeakerRyan and Rep. Mark Meadows on the House Floor. (Look at NV column area of screen).
Note: C-SPAN doesn’t control cameras/audio in House chamber. (h/t @Jakesherman) pic.twitter.com/WrtoLEfg4u
— Jeremy Art (@cspanJeremy) June 20, 2018
WATCH: (Clip 2/2) Exchange between @SpeakerRyan and Rep. Mark Meadows on the House Floor. (Look at NV column area of screen).
Note: C-SPAN doesn’t control cameras/audio in House chamber. (h/t @Jakesherman) pic.twitter.com/leOsUZUcTn
— Jeremy Art (@cspanJeremy) June 20, 2018
Both men became animated – pointing fingers at each other to the point where reporters in the press gallery could hear the the heated discussion – such as Politico’s Jake Sherman who live-tweeted the drama.
????????
Mark Meadows and Paul Ryan are in a very heated discussion in the middle of the house floor.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
Meadows is furious. Just walked over to his members — the freedom caucus — and signaled that he was done.
I’m not sure what they’re pissed about — ask @MEPFuller — but I would expect fireworks tomorrow.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
Meadows could be heard telling Ryan “It doesn’t matter anymore,” and “I don’t care anymore.”
Meadows and Ryan in each other’s faces. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” Meadows tells Ryan.
Wow.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
Meadows now having his hand toward Paul Ryan, angrily talking to his chief of staff Jonathan burka
“I don’t care anymore,” Meadows tells Ryan.
Curbelo standing by.
Meadows tells curbelo: “I’ll sign the dang discharge petition. I don’t care anymore.”
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
Meadows reportedly got in Ryan’s face over which of two similarly-named immigration bills the House is expected to vote on tomorrow.
The more conservative legislation has been dubbed “Goodlatte,” after the bill’s author, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. But a second bill, commonly called the “compromise” bill, has also been referred to as “Goodlatte,” since he’s a sponsor of that package as well. Notably, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., rebranded the compromise bill “the president’s bill” instead of the “leadership” bill. –Fox News
Allegedly conservatives believe the wrong version of goodlatte’s bill is being brought up
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
Now Meadows and Goodlatte are chatting. Meadows seems furious. He’s coming back to talk to Ryan with some people in tow
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 20, 2018
In order to clear things up, GOP leadership handed out talking points to lawmakers about the “compromise” bill – however Meadows claimed that the “talking points don’t match the text,” and “are not really for prime time.”
Meadows says he had it out with the Spkr on the flr because no one is completely sure what immigration bills they are voting on tomorrow. “There are multiple things in the text which do not match the talking pts.” Meadows says he was “passionately advocating” for his position
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 20, 2018
“This was a communication issue where the leadership compromise bill omitted key provisions that had been agreed upon beforehand,” Meadows spokesman Ben Williamson said in a statement. “We are working to resolve it.”
Several GOP lawmakers told Fox News that they were disturbed at the spat between Ryan and Meadows – with one source saying that a few members who were previously a “hard yes” on the immigration legislation are now “squirming” after the confrontation.