Breitbart targets Ryan:
Right-wing website leaks audio of House Speaker Paul Ryan bashing candidate Donald Trump.
A right-wing website Monday leaked audio of House Speaker Paul Ryan criticizing President Donald Trump in October — the latest move in a larger effort by some conservatives to derail the House GOP health care bill.
The website Breitbart, which has been sharply critical of Ryan’s Obamacare replacement bill, released the audio of Ryan criticizing Trump in the run-up to the November general election. The website explicitly linked the audio release to the health care bill, saying criticism of the legislation “calls into question whether Speaker Ryan ... really understands how Trump won and how to win in general.”
Ryan’s rocky relationship with Trump was widely reported at the time, but the audio is new. In it, Ryan criticizes Trump in a conference call with other House Republicans shortly after the October release of a 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about groping women without their consent.
“His comments are not anywhere in keeping with our party’s principles and values,” Ryan told GOP representatives. “There are basically two things that I want to make really clear, as for myself as your speaker. I am not going to defend Donald Trump — not now, not in the future.”
Breitbart’s release of the tape is the latest move by conservatives to undercut Ryan and House GOP leadership as they attempt to pass a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. The House Republican bill has been criticized by some conservatives as “Obamacare lite” because the bill would provide tax credits to help people afford health insurance — an approach that some on the right see as continuing an entitlement program for health care.
In the audio released by Breitbart, Ryan tells his members they should each decide if they wanted to defend Trump, the then GOP presidential nominee, or distance themselves from him.
“Look, you guys know I have real concerns with our nominee,” Ryan says on the audio. “I hope you appreciate that I’m doing what I think is best for you, the members, not what’s best for me . ... Many of you on this call are facing tough re-elections. Some of you are not. But with respect to Donald Trump, I would encourage you to do what you think is best and do what you feel you need to do.”
Ryan’s office had no immediate response to the release of the tape. But Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck told Breitbart News that Ryan had stated his views publicly at the time.
“And obviously a lot has happened since then,” Buck said. “As everyone knows, (Ryan and Trump) came together toward the end of the campaign and the speaker vocally supported him and even campaigned with (Vice President Mike) Pence.”
Ryan did tell House GOP members on the call that the “last thing I want to do is to help Hillary Clinton get the presidency, and get Congress,” calling her a “failed Progressive.”
White House strategist Stephen Bannon is the former head of Breitbart, though Bannon has sought to distance himself from the website’s recent criticism of Ryan.