Former GOP Colleague Trashes Ryan For 'Selling His Soul'

Matthew Chapman

August 8, 2018 5:00 am

Whichever way the House goes in November, House Speaker Paul Ryan will not be returning to Congress next January. And few on either side are impressed with his legacy.

In an appearance on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House” with fellow Republican commentator Nicolle Wallace, former congressman David Jolly (R-FL) savaged Ryan over his ineffectual tenure, and his abandonment of whatever principles he might have held. The comments came in response to an interview in which Ryan said he believes he managed during his time as speaker to influence Trump’s thinking and avert “tragedy,” but refused to share any specific examples.

“I was in the room when Paul Ryan was elected speaker, and the House caucus was struggling with who’s going to be our next leader,” said Jolly. “And he stood there and said, ‘I don’t want the job, I’m not sure I’ll be good at it, I’m not gonna travel, I’m not gonna fundraise.’ But he was the only choice we had in the race.”

“And I think what we’re seeing in his resignation is this: this is no longer Paul Ryan’s party, and he knows it. Whether he’s willing to say that or not, this is Donald Trump’s party, not Paul Ryan’s. He is, at this point, because of having transacted on the corporate tax bill, nothing more than a for-profit Republican we see in the finance community, that sold their souls for the benefit of Donald Trump.”

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