In defense of Trump: House Speaker Paul Ryan backs Comey firing.
House speaker dismisses calls for independent probe
RACINE - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan Thursday again defended President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and dismissed calls for an independent federal investigation into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
He made the comments during a visit to Racinebased manufacturer InSinkErator, located in his district, which announced $63 million in new investments in its engineering and production facilities in southeastern Wisconsin.
With the House in twoweek recess, the Janesville politician said he plans to conduct “telephone town hall” meetings with constituents as well as visits to factories and businesses. Asked if he planned any conventional appear-in-person town hall meetings, however, Ryan only said that he thinks he can reach the most constituents in telephone conference calls, usually after dinner, when it’s most convenient for voters.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of Dane County is holding a town hall-style meeting in Ryan’s district on Friday to call attention to the fact Ryan has not been holding traditional town halls.
Asked about Comey’s abrupt firing this week, Ryan said: “I think he had lost confidence among Republicans and Democrats and senior leadership at the Justice Department. And so I think the president looked at the situation and made a decision that a president can make, which was to remove the FBI director. It’s within his rights and prerogatives as president. And I think he (Trump) believed that that was the right decision to make.”
Ryan also brushed aside criticisms that Comey’s firing recalled the actions of
former President Richard Nixon, who fired the special prosecutor who was investigating the burglary that eventually led to the Nixon Watergate scandal. “I’m not going to compare any of this to the past,” Ryan said.
Asked if an independent federal investigation is needed on the matter of Russian interference, Ryan said: “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” because there are three investigations currently in the House, Senate and the FBI.
But Ryan heaped disdain on Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB secret service agent in the nowdefunct Soviet Union.
“I don’t believe Vladimir Putin is a man we can deal well with,” Ryan said, adding that Russia is “trying to frustrate our interests around the world.”
“I look at Vladimir Putin as an adversary,” he said. “I will admit there are many people who disagree with me. If Russian interests can coincide with American interests, that’s good. I don’t believe it’s possible.”
Ryan used the occasion to press the case for the pending House legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, as well as his proposals to overhaul the U.S. tax code this year.
The ACA’s provisions for individual health care policies “is collapsing,” Ryan said, reiterating his criticism of Obamacare.
The last time that Washington overhauled its tax code was 1986, with corporate tax rates stuck at 35%. Some businesses pay as much as 44%. In the meantime, America’s rival trade nations have lowered their business tax rates, making those economies more competitive, he said. The equivalent corporate tax rate on average among America’s rival economies is 23%.
“It’s a big competitive disadvantage,” Ryan said.