Freshman New York GOP Rep. Chris Gibson says he isn’t bound by Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge that he signed in 2010, because his district has since been changed.
Gibson originally ran for his seat in the 20th District, but now he is in the 19th District, which includes about half of his old constituents. Gibson spokeswoman Stephanie Valle says he won’t sign the pledge when his new term begins.
She told The Associated Press that Gibson favors extending current tax rates but "will consider all comprehensive packages" crafted by congressional leaders and the White House. Gibson wants to close loopholes and curb deductions.
The National Review’s John Fund excoriates the rookie representative. Gibson is a former U.S. Army officer, he notes. “Normally, you’d expect straight talk and a direct answer from a guy like that. But . . . he resorted to evasive maneuvers that would get a new Army recruit busted by his drill sergeant.”
Was Gibson’s pledge only “to your constituents of a numbered district?” Fund quips. “This comical maneuver should make Representative Gibson a laughing-stock. . . . About half of his new constituents were also in his old 20th district. Doesn’t his pledge to them still hold?”
Given that the ATR’s pledge is made “to the American people,” Gibson’s argument doesn’t hold water, Fund says. ATR President Grover Norquist told him, “One would hope Rep. Gibson would treat his constituents with more respect than he is showing.”
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