@coffee addict – If I remember correctly, from Rabbi Millers seforim on history, he says that bar kamtza was a tzedoki, and that is the reason that the Chachamim did not protest when he was asked to leave. They were afraid that whatever was being discussed would be brought back to the romans. I believe that Rabbi Miller quoted the Maharsh”a, but I don’t remember 100%.
I actually just googled, “was bar kamtza a saducee”, and what came back was as follows: “According to the Talmud, Bar Kamtza was a wealthy and prominent citizen of Jerusalem who was trusted by high-ranking Roman officials. Historians have suggested that Bar Kamtza was part of a faction that wanted to cooperate with the Romans”. So Rabbi Millers assertion seems to be historically accurate and plausible.
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