Here's Something I didn't Know: Part of John Boehner's Grip on the House GOP is Fundraising

Speaker John Boehner is donating more than $1 million to the House Republican campaign fund this week, a total that suggests he is consolidating power in the House, not planning for retirement.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Republican will announce at a closed-door meeting that he is transferring $1.5 million from his campaign war chests to the party's House campaign committee, bringing his total contribution to $17 million so far for the 2014 elections, more than any of his House colleagues.

All told, Boehner has helped raise $88 million for Republicans for the 2014 campaign. The tally includes contributions from his three fundraising committees as well as direct mail, online solicitations, headlining member fundraising events, and coordinated fundraisers with the Republican National Committee and state parties.

The breadth and pace of Boehner's fundraising runs counter to speculation in recent months that he is mulling retirement. His February purchase of a Florida condo, the exit of a handful of his senior aides for private sector jobs, and frustrations with an unruly House GOP conference have fueled such talk. Boehner has publicly maintained that he wants to remain in the job.

"The reality is, all these rumors about him not being engaged and him retiring are just complete falsehoods," said Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, who will cut a $500,000 check to the campaign operation on Tuesday as part of a broader Ohio delegation summer donation pledge."He and his team are more engaged than I've seen them in a long, long, long time."

As the single biggest contributor to the National Republican Congressional Committee since becoming the House's top Republican, Boehner has used his political operation to court allies. Cory Fritz, a Boehner spokesman, said the speaker has donated to more than half of the GOP's 233 incumbents and contributed the legal maximum to 21 of the party's top 2014 candidates.

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