'Baby Killer' Heckler Was Rep. Randy Neugebauer

We’re just learning that it was Texas GOP Rep. Randy Neugebauer who shouted “baby killer” at Rep. Bart Stupak on the House floor last night. The moment came close to 11 p.m. while Stupak denounced a GOP motion to weaken the health-care-reform package after it already passed. Under mounting pressure for someone to come forward, Neugebauer made an apology a few minutes ago, and offered a clarification. He says he called the bill a baby killer, not Stupak himself, even though that’s how it sounded. In the apology, Neugebauer said he was “heart broken” by the passage of the bill, and deeply resentful that his comments were misconstrued.

Neugebauer (pronounced new-guh-bow-er) is a three-term congressman who comes from a fiercely red district in the Texas panhandle, where he’s not expected to face a serious challenger this November. That means he probably won’t be punished for the remark by his constituents, many of whom probably agree with his angry sentiment (albeit perhaps not the heckle itself). But it’s likely Neugebaeur will earn the same notoriety as Rep. Joe Wilson, who was censured in the House after yelling “you lie” at President Obama last fall. It’s worth pointing out, however, that Wilson’s heckle also turned into a cash cow, bringing in almost $3 million in donations after the incident. No word yet on whether Neugebauer will also be censured, but it’s possible fundraisers on all sides will be scheming how to use the tape to their advantage.