Obama and Eric Cantor Had a Huge Immigration Fight or Maybe Just Talked Passover
After getting off a heated call with President Obama, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor released a "blistering statement" faulting Obama for attacking him. According to the White House, however, Obama called to say happy Passover.
.After getting off a heated call with President Obama, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor released a "blistering statement" faulting Obama for attacking him. According to the White House, however, Obama called to say Happy Passover.
"After five years, President Obama still has not learned how to effectively work with Congress to get things done," Cantor's statement read, according to The Hill, which indicated that "the conversation apparently did not go well." That "blistering" description comes from the paper, probably because of how Cantor continued. "House Republicans do not support Senate Democrats' immigration bill and amnesty efforts, and it will not be considered in the House," the statement read, chastising Obama: "You do not attack the very people you hope to engage in a serious dialogue."
So what did Obama say on the call? Obama "called to wish him Happy Passover and [Cantor's description] is all staff bluster," a White House official told the Huffington Post's Sam Stein. The call was "not tense at all."
Earlier in the day, Obama released a statement on the anniversary of the passage of the Senate bill, faulting Republicans for not taking it up. Cantor referred to that statement, too, according to NBC. "The President called me hours after he issued a partisan statement which attacked me and my fellow House Republicans," Cantor's statement began, "and which indicated no sincere desire to work together." Which, if you read it, suggests that Cantor's anger doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the call.
Fox's Joy Lin says the White House was "surprised" by Cantor's statement. It probably shouldn't have been. If there's one thing Obama should be used to these days, it's phone calls being used for political purposes.