In the midst of an ongoing battle between the Republican establishment and movement conservatives over healthcare reform, on Monday Breitbart News released audio from Oct. 10 of House Speaker Paul Ryan refusing to defend then-candidate Donald Trump.
“I am not going to defend Donald Trump – not now, not in the future,” Ryan can be heard saying on the tape.
The recording was allegedly taken during a conference call with House Republican members three days after the release of the Access Hollywood tape. As Breitbart concedes in its story, Ryan’s stated refusal to defend Trump on the call was reported by several media outlets at the time.
Given those reports, the comments Ryan made in Breitbart’s newly-released audio were already baked into the reporting on the speaker’s relationship with Trump. After initial stories about the call surfaced, Ryan’s office clarified he was not revoking his endorsement. As Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck told Breitbart, “The world is well aware of this history.”
“This was in response to [the Access Hollywood tape], but as everyone knows, they came together toward the end of the campaign and the speaker vocally supported him and even campaigned with Pence,” Buck continued.
Breitbart argues the audio shows that “Ryan does not specify that he will never defend Trump on just the Access Hollywood tape — he says clearly he is done with Trump altogether.”
In the audio, it’s true that Ryan makes the general statement that he’s “not going to defend Donald Trump.” But (1) that portion of the call was focused specifically on the tape and (2) Ryan has since moved on from that position by clearly defending the president on multiple occasions.
Breitbart’s audio is a worthwhile reminder of the complicated personal relationship between Ryan and Trump as they work together to push their embattled American Health Care Act. But it is nothing new.
It’s also worth remembering that Ryan said in a radio interview last week that the president helped his team “write this bill” and worked “hand in glove” with them. Given the timing, revisiting these statements by publishing audio that merely corroborates previously reported information seems to be an effort to drive a wedge between Trump and Ryan’s respective allies.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
