Boehner says no 'retribution' for dissenting conservative Rep. Jordan

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he's hoping to work with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) "for many years to come" in Congress.

Boehner released a statement ostensibly shooting down a Columbus Dispatch story that said the Speaker's allies were targeting Jordan, the head of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), in the Ohio redistricting plan.

"Jim Jordan and I may not always agree on strategy, but we are friends and allies, and the word retribution is not in my vocabulary," Boehner said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to serve with him in the U.S. House after the redistricting process in Ohio is complete, and for many years to come.”

Jordan has clashed with Boehner and the GOP leadership team over the Speaker's plan to raise the debt ceiling, leading to reports of tension between the two Ohioans, who hail from neighboring districts. An RSC staffer was reportedly booed yesterday at a conference meeting for having allegedly consulted with conservative bloggers to whip votes against the debt-ceiling plan.

The Dispatch had reported that Boehner's political team had looked to target Jordan as a result.

The Ohio conservative said Thursday evening that Boehner had called him to reassure Jordan that the Dispatch report was untrue.

"The Speaker called me an hour or so ago and said he's not in support of that," Jordan said on conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt's radio show. "And I take the Speaker at his word."

Updated at 6:49 p.m.