Sen. Ted Cruz has hired the former executive director of Republican Study Committee to be a member of his inner circle, just months after he was ousted for allegedly undermining GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Cruz, Texas Republican and tea party favorite, announced Monday that he named Paul Teller his new deputy chief of staff.
“Paul’s many years of experience working in Congress and his tireless work to advance conservative principles make him a tremendous addition to our team,” Mr. Cruz said in a statement. “I look forward to working with him to keep making Texans’ voices heard in Washington and to promote a positive policy agenda that will restore economic growth, rein in government overreach, and protect Americans’ personal liberties.”
The statement made no mention of the fact that Rep. Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican that leads the Republican Study Committee, dismissed Mr. Teller from his post because he had lost the trust of lawmakers — adding another page to the ongoing feud between the GOP establishment in Washington and the conservative grassroots.
The RSC, a kind of in-house think tank for GOP House members, describes itself as the “caucus of House conservatives.”
News reports said that Mr. Teller was let go after he worked with outside conservative groups against the two-year budget deal that hashed out between House Budget Committee Chairwoman Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, Washington Democrat.
The deal has since passed and received support from some of the 160 members of the Study Committee.
Mr. Teller said it is an honor to work with Mr. Cruz.
“His leadership is truly motivating, and I can’t wait to get started on our collaboration for liberty,” Mr. Teller said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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