EXCLUSIVE — Nikki Haley called a recent closed-door vote on earmark provisions by the House Republican conference “totally unacceptable” in an exclusive statement to the Washington Examiner.
“It is totally unacceptable that the House GOP voted in secret to keep earmarks. Every single member owes their constituents an explanation,” the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said, slamming the vote. “This is why people don’t trust government.”
The conference voted 158-52 on Wednesday against an amendment proposed by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) that would have ended the rule allowing members to add earmark provisions to legislation, so long as they sufficiently provide a written record of the purpose and recipient. Because the vote was conducted in a closed-door setting, there is no public record of…
