GOP rep: Pennsylvanians got ‘snookered’ by speaker deal
(NewsNation) — A bipartisan compromise to solve a major political crisis in Pennsylvania may be crumbling.
Both sides had declared they were the majority in the Pennsylvania House, so they agreed on a moderate Democrat, Rep. Mark Rozzi, to serve as House speaker.
Republican Rep. Jim Gregory, who nominated Rozzi for speakership, said at the time Democrats got “snookered” because Rozzi told him he planned to switch to an independent, which would leave the House party affiliations evenly split.
Now, Gregory is calling for Rozzi to resign, saying the speaker failed to keep his promise and told him he was only “thinking” about switching political parties, which would leave Democrats with a majority in the House.
“Mark Rozzi knows what he said, and until you live up to that commitment you have made … the people of Pennsylvania are the ones who are getting snookered,” Gregory said Friday on “Dan Abrams Live.”
While Gregory first suggested in a previous NewsNation interview it was the Democrats who were “snookered” by his pick for speaker, he rejected any notion that he was complicit in any misleading acts.
“No, not at all,” Gregory said when asked if there was any deception on his part.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Rozzi called Gregory a friend and said he was committed to working on legislation addressing sexual abuse, a priority of Gregory’s.
“All friendships have ups and downs but at the end of the day, I believe we will come together to ensure that survivors of childhood sexual abuse receive the Justice that they deserve,” Rozzi said in the statement.
Gregory’s interview can be viewed in the video above.