Frank says Boehner should apologize for ‘punk staffers’ remark
WASHINGTON -- US Representative Barney Frank called on House Minority Leader John Boehner to apologize for a comment about “punk staffers” made at an American Bankers Association Conference yesterday.
While talking about lobbying against the banking bill proposed by Senator Chris Dodd, Boehner said to the audience: “Don’t let those little punk staffers take advantage of you and stand up for yourselves,” MarketWatch reported.
Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said Boehner's comments were an “inaccurate cheap-shot,” and told the minority leader that “ picking on members of the staff is unworthy of you.”
“I don't know what's worse for congressional staff, being tickled by Eric Massa or degraded by John Boehner,” Frank said in an interview with the Globe.
In response to Frank's letter, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said, “Congressional staff should treat every American citizen with respect. Clearly, he was talking about any staff that don't.”
When asked if he was referring to members of Frank's staff, Steel declined to elaborate.
Frank said that as chairman of the Financial Services Committee, he felt Boehner was attacking his staffers. “If you've got a policy difference with me, come argue with me. But don't belittle the people who can't fight back,” said the Newton Democrat, who has not received a response from Boehner since sending the letter.
Boehner's comments referred to his and the banking industry's opposition to the financial reform bill proposed by Dodd on Monday. With a markup approaching, banking lobbyists are expected to push for changes to weaken the reforms in Dodd's bill, which is the Senate version of Frank's financial overhaul that passed the House in December.
Kirstin Brost, a spokeswoman for Dodd, said in an e-mail that “the insult is obnoxious, but it’s more troubling that the House Republican Leader thinks Wall Street needs to show Congress who’s boss.”
The full text of Frank's letter is after the jump.
March 18, 2010
The Honorable John A. Boehner
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
1011 Longworth
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Minority Leader Boehner,
I was very disappointed to read a quote from you in the Market Watch article by Ronald Orol, on March 17th, in which you say “Don’t let those little punk staffers take advantage of you and stand up for yourselves.”
I am appalled that a Leader of the House, who must know what good work is done by our staffs, would take such an inaccurate cheap-shot at these people, for the purpose of ingratiating himself with bankers or any other group. As Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, I work closely with a large number of the staff members whom you are demeaning by this statement, and while I obviously have closer working relationships with the members of the majority staff, I am familiar with the work done by a number of the minority staff members as well, both for the Committee and on personal staffs. Your reference to “punk staffers” trying to “take advantage” of people in the financial industry is wholly unfair to a lot of hardworking men and women, the majority of whom, in my judgment, could be making more money if they were working elsewhere, and working under less stressful conditions and shorter hours. It is of course possible that you were misquoted, and if that is the case, I urge you to quickly make that clear. But if Mr. Orol accurately quoted you in referring to the people who work so hard in the public interest as “little punk staffers,” I urge you to apologize to them.
I understand that you differ with what we and the majority are doing in what we believe is appropriate, tough regulation of the financial industry. And of course you are free to defend that industry and work with them to try to defeat those regulations. But picking on members of the staff is unworthy of you. I urge you to confine your campaign against financial regulation to debates with other Members of Congress, and not engage in this sort of personal attack on staff members who, as you know, are constrained by our rules against even defending themselves from your name-calling.
BARNEY FRANK
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
