Tea party leader Dick Armey quits Koch-linked FreedomWorks over 'matters of principle'

Former Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX) has quit the Koch brothers-linked tea party group FreedomWorks, according to an internal communique obtained by Mother Jones magazine.

From the sound of his letter, it was not a happy parting.

The missive, which the former House majority leader confirmed he wrote, demands payment through Dec. 31 even though it opens by explaining that his resignation was effective Nov. 30.

"Henceforth FreedomWorks shall be prohibited from using my name, image, or signature in any way or for any purpose without my written permission or in the event of my death, without my heirs [sic] written permission," he went on to write.

Armey adds that he wants FreedomWorks to "remove my name, image, and signature from all its letters, print media, postings, web sites, videos, testimonials, endorsements, fund raising materials, and social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter."

In addition, he requested an email containing "all user names, passwords, security questions, and security answers for all accounts, web sites and social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter, created in my name."

Although he acknowledged the letter's legitimacy, Armey wouldn't tell Mother Jones why he quit, saying simply: "They were matters of principle. It's how you do business as opposed to what you do. But I don't want to be the guy to create problems."

Armey, who predicted in May 2011 that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) would join the party's 2012 presidential ticket, resigned from Congress in 2002. His book, "Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto," was published in 2010.

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