Several GOP lawmakers seem to have blown off House Judiciary committee votes on the Patriot Act in favor of toasting Tea Partiers at Michelle Bachmann's rally against health care reform on Capitol Hill yesterday.

Reps. Steve King of Iowa, Trent Franks of Arizona, Randy Forbes of Virginia, Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Louie Gohmert and Ted Poe of Texas all showed up at the Tea Party -- and all missed Patriot Act votes that took place at about the same time. Some of the votes on Republican-sponsored amendments to the reauthorization of the Patriot Act were close enough that they might have passed had more GOPers bothered to show up.

TPMmuckraker has the story.