Rep. Mark Meadows holds up a hard drive as he questions the IRS Commissioner. GOP leaders reverse punishment for dissenter

House Freedom Caucus chairman Jim Jordan just showed he can outfox top Republicans.

Jordan, the Ohio Republican who leads the conservative group, maneuvered behind the scenes successfully this week to overturn Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz’s (R-Utah) decision to strip North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows of his subcommittee gavel. Top Republicans had wanted to punish Meadows for voting against GOP leaders and not supporting the party’s campaign arm.


But over the course of a week, Jordan canvassed Republicans on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, shoring up support for Meadows (R-N.C.).

Jordan’s guerrilla campaign seemed to work — the majority of the overwhelmingly conservative committee said they wanted Meadows back.

On Wednesday, Chaffetz invited members of the panel to a meeting in the committee conference room —the gathering was “Members only – unfortunately staff are not permitted,” according to the invitation.

In that Wednesday evening meeting, which lasted several hours, Chaffetz laid out his gripes: he said Meadows told the Utah Republican he would pay his National Republican Campaign Committee dues by the end of the first quarter, and he didn’t. Chaffetz also told the committee that Meadows committed to vote for John Boehner (R-Ohio) for speaker earlier this year. Chaffetz relayed that message to Boehner, but Meadows ended up voting for Florida Rep. Daniel Webster.

By Thursday morning, Chaffetz had heard the message from his committee, and decided he would reinstate Meadows.

The reversal infuriated loyalists to Boehner, who for months have wanted to punish lawmakers who have broken with leadership.

“Disgusting,” one Boehner ally remarked Thursday.

Even if Chaffetz stuck by his guns, he made a power play without knowing the rules.

Rule 19 (a) (1) of the House Republican Conference rules state that a committee chair can select his chairmen “unless a majority of the Republican Members of the full Committee disapprove the action of the chair.”

Jordan and Meadows had the majority. Chaffetz didn’t.

It is a stunning reversal for Chaffetz — and, by extension, the GOP leadership — and could embolden the several dozen conservative Republicans who defy Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Those close to — and part of — House Republican leadership say they disagree with Chaffetz’s decision, but feel there is nothing they can do.

Boehner, on Wednesday, volunteered privately to Republicans that he supported stripping Meadows of his subcommittee post. Asked Thursday about reinstating Meadows, Boehner said, ”You have to ask Mr. Chaffetz.”

Just last weekend, Chaffetz told POLITICO that “sometimes the coach needs to make a change on the field,” offering multiple reasons Meadows did not deserve the chairmanship of the government operations subcommittee. But shortly after Chaffetz made the decision, the rank and file — and outside conservatives — rose up. Chaffetz’s committee includes several members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, and he feared internal strife for punishing Meadows.

In a statement, Chaffetz said he and Meadows “better understand each other.”

“I respect Mark and his approach,” Chaffetz said in a statement. “The discussions and candor have been healthy and productive. Ultimately, I believe we both want to do what is best for the country. Obviously I believe in Mark Meadows or I would not have appointed him to this position in the first place. It is in the best interest of the Committee to move forward together. Therefore, I have asked Mark to continue in his role as subcommittee Chairman.”

Meadows said he will “continue to vote and conduct myself in accordance with my conscience, what my constituents want me to do, and what is best for the country.”

This could be a major setback in Boehner’s leadership’s drive against lawmakers who defy him. GOP leadership have said for several weeks they were finally ready to crack down on dissenters.

They pointed to Meadows as a prime example of someone deserving of punishment. The North Carolina Republican has voted multiple times to prevent GOP leadership from bringing up legislation, and he has failed to pay dues to the National Republican Congressional Committee. He is also a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans who are actively talking about ways to obstruct Boehner’s (R-Ohio) ability to advance his legislative agenda.