Former House leaders call Paul Ryan resignation rumors "ludicrous"
House Speaker Paul Ryan's predecessor and a former GOP majority leader are dismissing rumors that the Wisconsin Republican is looking to leave his post. In separate interviews with the Washington Post, former Speaker John Boehner and former majority leader Eric Cantor both said the reports that Ryan is resigning are nothing farther from the truth.
"The idea that he's going to walk out of there in the middle of the fight is ludicrous," said Boehner.
Cantor, who was booted from his seat in a stunning Republican primary in 2014, echoed the speaker, saying "the notion that Paul Ryan is just going to abdicate and leave is preposterous."
Boehner, who stunned Congress when he announced he was stepping down in from the speakership in 2015 amid turmoil in the House GOP conference, called Ryan a "stand-up guy."
As Republicans continue to grapple with the prospect of losing control of the House after a series of losses to Democrats in special election races, both Cantor and Boehner said Ryan's departure would be detrimental to the party.
"It would be a signal of surrender," Cantor said. Boehner agreed, predicting that Ryan is "going to be the leader of the team all the way through the election."
Ryan's office has also denied speculation that he's leaving anytime soon. Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong told CBS News last week, "The speaker is not resigning."
The speaker previously told CBS News' "Face the Nation" in January that he would discuss running for reelection with his family before making a decision on the matter.
"Look, if we're doing fine I have no plans of going anywhere any time soon," Ryan said. "But that's something that my wife and I always decide in late spring of the election year."
