GOP campaign chief joins Tea Party caucus

House GOP campaign chief Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas) said that he has joined the newly-formed Tea Party caucus.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chairman told reporters on Tuesday that he “is going to join ... have joined, the Tea Party caucus.” 

Sessions is the second member of the GOP leadership to join Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) controversial caucus. GOP Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) announced on Monday that he was signing up as well. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) is the other conference member to have joined.

Sessions said that every Tea Party event that he’s been to over the past year and a half has consisted of “one-third Democrats, one-third Republicans and one-third Independents. They are 100 percent fired up about trying to save this country from a big government that is taxing, spending and causing deficit.” 

Top-ranking Republican Rep. John Boehner (Ohio) does not plan to join the caucus; his office said he makes a point not to join Congressional Member Organizations (CMO) beyond the GOP Conference. 

House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) indicated on Tuesday that he was not going to join the Tea Party Caucus. 

“That’s part of the beauty of the tea party movement; it’s organic and it’s certainly not of Washington and in that respect it’s better left with the people," Cantor said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, Tea Party Caucus founder Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) announced that the group would hold its first meeting on Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. 

This post was updated at 3:35 p.m.