GOP Rep.: ‘I Don’t Think Any Individual Has Read The Whole Bill’

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. administers the House oath of office to Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Va., during a mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress began. (... House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. administers the House oath of office to Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Va., during a mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress began. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) MORE LESS
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A Republican congressman admitted Thursday that he hadn’t read Republicans’ bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, despite announcing his intent to vote for it Wednesday.

“Oh, gosh, let’s put it this way, people in my office have read all the parts of the bill,” Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA) told MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. “I don’t think any individual has read the whole bill, but that’s why we have staff.”

Garrett earlier told Ruhle, referencing the passage of Obamacare, that “I have said all along that it was sort of hypocrisy for us to lament passing a bill to find out what’s in it and do the same thing.”

But he insisted members of Congress had “several months to sort of wrap our brains around this.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Every blind date is a success. We all know that, we’ve had several months to ponder it.

  2. Is this going to be their fall back excuse for the 2018 midterms?

    “I voted for it and didn’t know how bad it was because I wasn’t given the chance to readit?”

  3. Oh, gosh, let’s put it this way, people in my office have read all the parts of the bill

    And we are all okay with throwing constituents under the bus to give tax breaks to the wealthy and stiffies to the lunatics in the Freedom Caucus.

  4. I’m old enough to remember when Republicans thought not reading a bill before voting on it was reason enough to resign.

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