House Speaker Says He's Not Leaving Congress Anytime Soon
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan says he's not leaving Congress anytime soon.
The Wisconsin Republican was asked Thursday about two published reports suggesting he might leave his job soon after the GOP passes a rewrite of the U.S. tax code.
Asked by a reporter if he's quitting anytime soon, Ryan chuckled and said, "I'm not. No."
Ryan spoke as Politico and the Huffington Post published reports speculating that Ryan would make this term his last or even quit within weeks. Ryan took the job reluctantly, after former Speaker John Boehner of Ohio stepped aside abruptly in 2015.
A Ryan spokeswoman calls the reports "pure speculation."
Politico reported earlier, "Despite several landmark legislative wins this year, and a better-than-expected relationship with President Donald Trump, Ryan has made it known to some of his closest confidants that this will be his final term as speaker." They did not mention who those confidants were.
Politico did report, "When asked at the end of a Thursday morning press conference if he was leaving soon, Ryan shot a quick "no" over his shoulder as he walked out of the room."
Digital Anchor Matt Yurus reached out to Politico and asked whether or not it reached out to the speaker's office for comment on the matter before publication. In a statement they said -- in part -- that their reporters "interviewed three dozen people who know the speaker -- lawmakers, congressional and Trump administration aides, and Republican lobbyists -- and not a single person believed that speaker Ryan will stay in congress past 2018. I guess we've found one – Sarah Huckabee Sanders."
When asked about the reports, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, "The president did speak to the speaker not too long ago and made sure that the speaker knew very clearly and in no uncertain terms that if that news was true he was very unhappy with it. The speaker assured the president that those were not accurate reports."
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