Scoop: GOP smokes Johnson over loss of Capitol cigar space

Why it matters: GOP lawmakers stressed to Axios the need for quiet places to gather off the House floor to bond, saying the loss of Cole's "hideaway" — as such areas are known — has left a void Johnson should address.

• Given stark divisions and constant infighting in the House GOP conference, there's an argument for any arrangement that could help this crop of lawmakers build relationships.

Catch up quick: When Cole (R-Okla.) chaired the powerful Rules Committee, his Capitol hideaway was a place for lawmakers to huddle and talk policy over cigars.

• But after he became Appropriations chair, he opted to let former chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) — who stepped down from the position earlier this year — retain her hideaway. He did so even as he surrendered the Rules Committee chair's office to that panel's new leader, Michael Burgess (R-Texas).
• That's left Cole without a hideaway of his own and cigar aficionados without a lair, as Burgess, a physician, has not continued the tradition.

What he's saying: "We desperately need a place to smoke cigars. and I do not have and should not have the chairman's office right now ... because Kay Granger needs that and that's the appropriate thing to do," Cole told Axios.

• Cole noted that members used to be able to smoke in the Speaker's Lobby, a tradition Nancy Pelosi did away with in 2007 when she became speaker.
• "We're trying to work on finding the place — the Rules office was a great place, but I'm not Rules chairman anymore," Cole added.
• A person familiar with the situation said Cole was offered a Capitol office when he became Appropriations chair, but he declined.

The intrigue: Some members suggested Johnson could cede the ceremonial balcony off the House floor back to broader member use as a "smoking porch."

• They note that the speaker has his own large balcony elsewhere in the Capitol.
• "It's a very important issue for members and — you know — we value traditions in this institution, and that tradition of that balcony belonging to Appropriations was discarded," one Republican member said.
• Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), joked that "Plan D or E " might be to "smoke in Mike Johnson's office," adding that he'd supply the cigars "and others will supply the alcohol, and we're just going to sit in his office, light up, and not leave until Tom Cole gets a hideaway."

The big picture: Those demanding Johnson find a new space have pointed to Cole's former hideaway as a place for members — male and female, but especially younger members — to be mentored by more senior colleagues.

• "It's more than just cigars, it's a place for new members to get to know and be mentored by a member like Tom Cole," one GOP lawmaker said.
• "There's no better time to build a relationship than over a cigar because you're with somebody for 45 minutes to an hour," Reschenthaler told Axios. "You can actually have a long conversation with somebody, and it really leads to building bridges — within the conference, but also bipartisan bridges."
• "It's actually a big deal," another GOP member said, adding that the Rules hideaway under Cole "was a great location to take a break, and it is interesting how many freshmen found it helpful."

What's next: Cole said members are still welcome at his personal office in the Rayburn Building for cigar smoking while a solution is pending.

• "We're gonna keep pushing to the speaker's capable hands, but with all due respect to the speaker, he wouldn't know which end of the cigar to light," Cole joked.

Editor's note: This piece was corrected by removing a reference to Nancy Pelosi replacing John Boehner as speaker.