Rumblings that House Speaker Paul Ryan may leave Congress after 2018 just spilled into the media.
A lengthy Politico Magazine article published on Thursday explored that possibility, surveying the contours of Ryan’s two-decade career in Washington. Without unnecessarily amplifying any alarm bells, it’s worth pointing out the story appears to be very well-sourced.
“In recent interviews with three dozen people who know the speaker — fellow lawmakers, congressional and administration aides, conservative intellectuals and Republican lobbyists — not a single person believed Ryan will stay in Congress past 2018,” reported Tim Alberta and Rachel Bade. Assuming that group includes a handful of people intimately close to Ryan, three dozen sources makes the report difficult to discount.
A carefully worded statement released by Ryan’s office did not actually dispute reports that his post-midterm plans may involve vacating Congress. “Speaker Ryan is fully committed to advancing a bold conservative agenda in 2018 and protecting the majority. Any gossip to the contrary is completely baseless and without merit,” it read.
Note how the language affirms Ryan is “fully committed to advancing a bold conservative agenda in 2018,” and asserts only reports contradicting that timeline are false. Given that the Politico report specifically says Ryan would exit after 2018, his office’s decision not to reach beyond that date is telling.
Even assuming as of today Ryan does plan to leave Washington in 2018, it’s possible the speaker’s plans could change. But the Politico report considered together with the speaker’s statement do not inspire confidence in that possibility.
