Republican leaders were asked today to vouch for the authenticity of a memo that their press aides emailed to reporters saying that it proves Democrats want to make major changes to Medicare. We posted the memo earlier when Democrats accused Republicans of sending it out as a hoax.
“The appropriate question there really is ask the reporter who wrote the article alleging that it was a hoax. I know nothing more than what I read in Politico,” Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) told reporters in response to a question at a press conference this afternoon.
Cantor’s office emailed reporters the Politico post - since been removed when questions arose about the memo’s legitimacy - earlier this afternoon. Cantor scolded the press: “The question that you really ought to be asking is the hoax on the American people presented by the budget assumptions made on this bill.”
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) agreed.
“Who cares about a memo? The point is the speaker is telling us she’s doing to do the doc
fix. That means that’s part of health care spending this year,” said Ryan, the ranking member on the Budget Committee. “That means this effort will increase the deficit.”
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