Ousting of House chaplain.. Well good, there shouldn't be one...

Democrats furious at Ryan over ousting of House chaplain

By HEATHER CAYGLE and JAKE SHERMAN

Democrats are outraged over the resignation of the House chaplain, alleging he was unjustly forced out by Republicans.

In the 10 days since Father Pat Conroy resigned, there’s been widespread chatter about what prompted the Jesuit priest’s unexpected departure. But like all things on Capitol Hill, there are different versions of what happened and why.

Conroy announced his resignation in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in mid-April. But now Democrats allege Conroy was forced to step down by the speaker after being pressured by some members of his GOP conference.

“He was fired,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said. “I talked to the chaplain directly. Paul Ryan sent his chief of staff down to the chaplain’s office and said, ‘The speaker wants your resignation or obviously, you’ll be dismissed.’”

Conroy declined to comment, other than to say via email that he wasn’t pushed out by Ryan and Connolly’s recollection of the conversation was incorrect.

But in an email obtained by POLITICO, Conroy told a friend that Ryan explicitly asked for his resignation.

“I had no intentions of leaving,” Conroy wrote in the email, noting that members from both parties were upset by his ouster. “I doubt that anything will change Ryan’s mind, but I think it important that Members know the truth.”

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) called Ryan's actions "reprehensible" and said the speaker should reconsider his decision.

“That he be the first chaplain of the House of Representatives to be fired in the history of the United States is just outrageous,” Crowley told reporters.

Crowley said after speaking with Conroy, it was his understanding that the priest was fired for offering a House prayer in November suggesting that the GOP tax bill should not create “winners and losers.” A House GOP aide disputes that Conroy was fired over a specific prayer.

Connolly accused Ryan, a well-known Catholic, of “pandering to anti-Catholic sentiment” within the Republican Conference.

“There has been no explanation other than vague things like ‘not all of my members feel that they got spiritual guidance from him’ on the Republican side,” Connolly said.

But Ryan’s spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, forcefully denied those allegations and said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could have stopped Conroy’s ouster.

“The speaker is a proud, deeply Catholic person and this charge is not only false but outrageous,” Strong said in a statement. “The speaker told Leader Pelosi that he would not move forward with the decision if she objected and she chose not to.”

Strong did not provide a reason why Ryan wanted Conroy to step down.

A Pelosi aide confirmed she was given advance notice by Ryan but disputes that she could have prevented Conroy's resignation. Pelosi made clear to Ryan she disagreed with the decision and told the speaker she had heard only positive feedback from members about Conroy, according to the aide.

Strong later followed up: “The speaker consulted with the minority leader, but the decision was his. He remains grateful for Father Conroy’s service,” she said in a statement late Thursday.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), a Methodist pastor who was tapped by Pelosi to help lead the bipartisan search for a new chaplain, said members on both sides of the aisle are upset after word spread about Conroy’s firing earlier this week.

“I have some very, very, very strong feelings. I am controlling myself before I speak ... with the speaker because the last thing we need in the midst of all the chaos and dysfunctionality is an argument over religion in the halls of Congress,” Cleaver said. “I don’t know how you can have a search team when we have somebody already in the chaplain’s seat.”

Connolly and three other members started circulating a bipartisan letter Thursday afternoon requesting more information from Ryan on Conroy’s firing. The members planned to gather additional signatures before sending it to Ryan’s office Friday.

“The sensitive nature of this situation requires a description of the process followed to arrive at the decision and a justification for that decision,” they wrote to Ryan. “We believe that, absent such details, questions will inevitably arise about the politicization of the process for hiring and dismissing a House chaplain.”

Conroy has served as House chaplain for seven years. Before that, the Rev. Daniel Coughlin was the House chaplain for more than a decade, the first Roman Catholic priest in history to hold that position.

Several Democrats pointed to Conroy’s resignation letter as further proof he was forced from his job. “As you have requested, I hereby offer my resignation as the 60th chaplain in the House of Representatives,” Conroy wrote in a letter to Ryan dated April 15.

Conroy actually wrote two versions of the letter, according to copies obtained by POLITICO. The first version said his resignation date would be determined by a conversation with Ryan’s chief of staff. The second letter included a specific resignation date of May 24.

Conroy’s dismissal was the topic of much conversation during a private House Democratic Caucus meeting Thursday after word spread that the priest’s resignation wasn’t voluntary.

“All of us want some explanation for what is it you have done. Why would you do this to somebody who is well liked and respected broadly on both sides of the aisle? Any why would you do it to him and damage his good name?” Connolly said.

The forced resignation has inflamed Democrats, who say they’ve been given no real reason for the move. They have speculated it has to do with incidents ranging from a prayer Conroy gave in November on the GOP tax bill to allowing a Muslim cleric to deliver the opening prayer in October to an interview he did with National Journal in January.

“As legislation on taxes continues to be debated this week and next, may all Members be mindful that the institutions and structures of our great nation guarantee the opportunities that have allowed some to achieve great success, while others continue to struggle,” Conroy said in the prayer.

“May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”