In a newly-released email sent to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by her close advisor Sidney Blumenthal,
Speaker of the House John Boehner is described as a lazy alcoholic despised by other Republicans.
“Boehner is despised by the younger, more conservative members of the House Republican Conference,” Blumenthal wrote in 2010, citing “Republican sources” he had. “They are repelled by his personal behavior. He is louche, alcoholic, lazy, and without any commitment to any principle.”
Blumenthal also accused Boehner of trying to “buy the members with campaign contributions,” adding that “his hold is insecure. He is not [former Speaker Newt Gingrich], the natural leader of a ‘revolution,’ riding the crest into power. He is careworn and threadbare, banal and hollow, holding nobody’s enduring loyalty.”
“Boehner is beholden and somewhat scared of his base. He twitches when they make gestures that might undermine his position. His impulse is to hand out money,” he added.
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