PrairiePundit

Washington Times: A House committee chairman said Monday that he will not accept testimony from Richard Cordray, the chairman of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, because he was one of the recess appointments that a federal appeals court ruled were made in violation of the Constitution.  House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling said that his committee is only allowed to hear testimony from the chairman of the bureau, and since a court has called Mr. Cordray’s appointment into question, he cannot be considered the legal chairman.  “Absent contrary guidance from the United States Supreme Court, you do not meet the statutory requirements of a validly-serving director of the CFPB, and cannot be recognized as such,” Mr. Hensarling wrote in a letter to Mr. Cordray.  Mr. Cordray is slated to appear Tuesday before a Senate panel. The Senate is controlled by Democrats, who argue the recess appointments are valid.  Republicans, though, control the Hou...

Image via Wikipedia NY Times: The incoming leadership of the new House Republican majority hardly had a chance to relish its dismantling of the Democrats before the Tea Party came calling in the form of Representative Michele Bachmann . Ms. Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican and Tea Party heroine often seen exhorting conservative activists at rallies and on cable television, announced that she intended to seek the No. 4 position among House Republicans . She said she could provide the viewpoint of a constitutional conservative, one she evidently sees lacking in Representatives John A. Boehner of Ohio, Eric Cantor of Virginia and Kevin McCarthy of California — the three likely leaders. Mr. Cantor and other influential Republicans are rallying instead behind Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a fiscal conservative , and Ms. Bachmann has only an outside shot at winning the race. But her candidacy vividly illustrates the central tension facing Mr. Boehner and his team: ...