Today, the Wall Street Journal reported on more than a dozen Republican lawmakers who voted against the stimulus last year but subsequently “supported stimulus-funding requests” submitted by their constituents to federal agencies. One such lawmaker was Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), who said she didn’t believe “that it would create the jobs that were promised.” In November, she even issued a call to “recall the stimulus funds that have not been spent.” Of course, Schmidt wasn’t so concerned about the federal deficit to turn down supporting “funding requests from local organizations training workers for energy-efficiency projects.”

Today, Fox News’ Neil Cavuto pushed her on her hypocrisy. Schmidt spun all sorts of circles trying to justify her move, saying that she would still “return that money to the Treasury” if she could, but the “genie is out of the bottle.” Cavuto repeatedly asked her how Republicans were any different from Democrats, pointed out how what they were doing was “offensive” to some folks, and hit her for sending a “mixed message.”

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) went on next and defended Schmidt: “She’s being very genuine in saying, ‘Look, I wouldn’t have voted for the stimulus.’ … But if she’s going to be held accountable, and the people in her district and the people in the entire country are going to have to pay for it, well then yes, certainly the Democrats aren’t suggesting that the stimulus dollars go to just the Democratic counties.” “You’re being very selective in your rage here,” concluded Cavuto. Watch it:

Democrats were never saying that all the money should go to Democratic districts; they were saying that Republicans should have been helping to bring money to all districts without simultaneously spouting political attacks claiming that the stimulus wasn’t going to “create any jobs.”

Also in the interview, Chaffetz claimed he wasn’t one of the lawmakers begging for stimulus handouts:

CAVUTO: Did constituents seek you out and say, “Could you get funding for me for this,” and did you turn them down? Yes or no.

CHAFFETZ: Well, in general, yes, I did turn them down.

Chaffetz must have forgotten about the letter he and other Utah lawmakers sent the Interior Department “on behalf of the Provo River Water Users Association seeking $95 million in [stimulus] funds.”

At a Labor Day tea party in Cincinnati, OH, ThinkProgress captured exclusive footage of Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) whispering to a birther, “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.” Watch it:

Yesterday, Schmidt issued a statement attempting to back away from her comments, claiming that she was only agreeing “that the constitution should be strictly interpreted”:

The President is indeed a Citizen of this country and constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States. I may not agree with his politics but there is no doubt he is the President and has my full respect. The video clip being circulated by some is part of a longer conversation with a woman who was very upset about a number of things. I, in no way, agree with her belief that President Obama is not a citizen of the United States. I did agree with her view that the constitution should be strictly interpreted. I was trying to be kind to a woman who was trying desperately and passionately to express her views. She has the right to her beliefs, no matter how much I disagree with them.

Despite this statement, as Politico’s Glenn Thrush has noted, it’s clear from the footage that Schmidt was playing a “wink-wink game” with the birther crowd.

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) spoke at the Voice of America tea party this Labor Day weekend outside of Cincinnati, OH. Following a tense Q&A session — during which, the congresswoman was booed for acknowledging that the Constitution is a living document — Schmidt engaged in a heated conversation with a birther off-stage. At the conclusion of their exchange, Schmidt whispered to the birther, “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”

Think Progress attended the event and captured exclusive video of the exchange. Watch it:

As Schmidt spoke to the birther, one of her staffers spotted the ThinkProgress camera and used his body to push the cameraman out of view of the congresswoman. ThinkProgress continued to film Schmidt from a respectful distance, but was again stopped by another staffer who grabbed the cameraman by the arm and ordered him to “go away.”

Schmidt was among the members of Congress featured in Firedoglake’s Know Your Birthers video. In the FDL video, Schmidt can be seen running away from blogger-activist Mike Stark when he asked whether or not she has any questions about President Obama’s citizenship status.

In July, following her 15 minutes of YouTube fame, Schmidt’s office issued a statement to Ohio’s Loveland Magazine to clarify her views:

The President is indeed a Citizen of this country. I voted as a Member of the House to certify the vote of the Electoral College electing him as our President. I may not agree with his politics but there is no doubt he is our President and has my full respect as such.

Schmidt’s exchange with the birther this weekend directly contradicts her July statement. The footage appears to indicate that Schmidt is a closet birther who questions the citizenship of the President.

Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Jean Schmidt (R-OH) are long-time foes of gay rights, scoring 0 from the Human Rights Campaign in the 110th Congress. However, both will be holding fundraisers at the upcoming July 11 Billy Joel/Elton John concert in Washington, DC. Elton John, as the Sunlight Foundation notes, “has been a vocal advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and for global gay rights (see his foundation here, and attempts to raise public awareness here).” Shimkus and Schmidt, in contrast, support a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality. In 2005, Shimkus also hosted another Elton John fundraiser.