U.S. House Speaker John Boehner has agreed to a request by the Connecticut Republican Party to open his keynote speech at tonight’s Prescott Bush Dinner to the press.
The party notified reporters by email sent shortly before midnight Friday that the annual fundraising dinner in Stamford, which the party had closed to the press for the first time at Boehner’s request, now was open.
Liz Kurantowicz of the state GOP said today that the speaker agreed to the party’s request that the sold-out event in Stamford be opened.
Boehner’s closed-media demand and his role in negotiating a stop-gap budget agreement to avert a shutdown of the federal goverment had generated drama around an annual fundraising dinner that has attracted little press attention in recent years.
If Congress and President Obama had not agreed on a budget deal last night, the government would have shut down today and Boehner’s attendance would have been doubtful.
Now, Boehner is confirmed as the speaker, his speech is open and the state GOP has a national newsmaker to draw reporters — and protesters.
The Connecticut Citizen Action Group says “Boehner is coming to Connecticut to celebrate the destruction of America’s middle class.”