Rep. Gohmert weighing presidential bid
Conservative firebrand Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Hill that he might run for president in 2016.
Gohmert
indicated he might launch an exploratory committee for president when
originally asked if he would support Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) White
House bid.
"Ted is a good friend and would be an outstanding
President; however, I haven't ruled out an exploratory committee
myself," Gohmert said in a statement to The Hill.Gohmert
launched long-shot bids for Speaker in January and for chairman of the
Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives.
But the
Texas Republican accrued just three votes during the Speaker election -
from himself as well as Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) and Randy Weber
(R-Texas).
Gohmert is a frequent guest on Fox News and is known
around the Capitol for his lengthy, extemporaneous speeches to a usually
empty House chamber on weekly basis. He logged the most speaking time on the House floor last year out of any other lawmaker: a whopping 29 hours.
Gohmert's 29 hours of floor time last year far outstripped the runner-up, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who spoke just 10 hours.
The
topics of Gohmert's floor speeches vary, though they frequently touch
upon Middle East foreign policy, President Obama's Justice Department,
and illegal immigration. He occasionally employs unusual visuals, such as posters depicting crucifixions while discussing persecutions of Christians.
Gohmert grabbed headlines during a hearing on Wednesday when he upbraided FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for the agency's controversial net-neutrality rules.
"Before
the FCC stepped in, everybody was able to explore new business models,"
Gohmert yelled. "The only business is now you're playing God with the
Internet, while saying "I'll leave some room for you to come up with new
business models.' That's not your job!"
Gohmert has frequently
clashed with Attorney General Eric Holder over the last several years,
including a memorable 2013 House Judiciary Committee hearing when he
said the Justice Department hadn't done enough to stop the Boston
Marathon bombing. Gohmert's response to Holder's pushback was, "The
attorney general will not cast aspersions on my asparagus."
Before
his election to the House in 2004, Gohmert, 61, served as a Texas
district court judge and as the chief justice on the Texas court of
appeals.
This post was edited on 3/26 6:49 PM by THE_DEVIL
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/237158-louie-gohmert-weighing-presidential-bid
Conservative firebrand Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Hill that he might run for president in 2016.
Gohmert
indicated he might launch an exploratory committee for president when
originally asked if he would support Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) White
House bid.
"Ted is a good friend and would be an outstanding
President; however, I haven't ruled out an exploratory committee
myself," Gohmert said in a statement to The Hill.Gohmert
launched long-shot bids for Speaker in January and for chairman of the
Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives.
But the
Texas Republican accrued just three votes during the Speaker election -
from himself as well as Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) and Randy Weber
(R-Texas).
Gohmert is a frequent guest on Fox News and is known
around the Capitol for his lengthy, extemporaneous speeches to a usually
empty House chamber on weekly basis. He logged the most speaking time on the House floor last year out of any other lawmaker: a whopping 29 hours.
Gohmert's 29 hours of floor time last year far outstripped the runner-up, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who spoke just 10 hours.
The
topics of Gohmert's floor speeches vary, though they frequently touch
upon Middle East foreign policy, President Obama's Justice Department,
and illegal immigration. He occasionally employs unusual visuals, such as posters depicting crucifixions while discussing persecutions of Christians.
Gohmert grabbed headlines during a hearing on Wednesday when he upbraided FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for the agency's controversial net-neutrality rules.
"Before
the FCC stepped in, everybody was able to explore new business models,"
Gohmert yelled. "The only business is now you're playing God with the
Internet, while saying "I'll leave some room for you to come up with new
business models.' That's not your job!"
Gohmert has frequently
clashed with Attorney General Eric Holder over the last several years,
including a memorable 2013 House Judiciary Committee hearing when he
said the Justice Department hadn't done enough to stop the Boston
Marathon bombing. Gohmert's response to Holder's pushback was, "The
attorney general will not cast aspersions on my asparagus."
Before
his election to the House in 2004, Gohmert, 61, served as a Texas
district court judge and as the chief justice on the Texas court of
appeals.
This post was edited on 3/26 6:49 PM by THE_DEVIL
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/237158-louie-gohmert-weighing-presidential-bid
