Paul Ryan: Donald Trump ‘messed up’ but shouldn’t be censured

MADISON, Wis. – U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan
said Monday he will not support a resolution to
censure President Donald Trump over his
comments following the white supremacist march
in Virginia, even though he believes Trump “messed
up” by saying “both sides” were to blame for
violence and that there were “very fine people”
among those marching to protect Confederate
statues.
Ryan was asked at a town hall organized by CNN in
his Wisconsin congressional district whether he
would back the resolution that comes following
Trump’s comments about the Charlottesville,
Virginia, rally. The question came from Rabbi Dena
Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen.
Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who grew up in the
same city as Ryan.
Ryan said censuring Trump would be
“counterproductive.”
“If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-
fest, into some bickering against each other and
demean it down into some political food fight, what
good does that do to unify this country?” Ryan said,
adding that it would be the “worst thing we could
do.”
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While Ryan said he wouldn’t support censuring
Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of
the president’s comments in the wake of the rally
where a woman protesting against the white
supremacists was killed by a man identified as a
neo-Nazi supporter. Ryan had previously spoken out
against the violence, both on Twitter and in a
statement earlier Monday, but he hadn’t previously
addressed Trump’s comments directly.
“I do believe that he
messed up in his
comments on Tuesday
when it sounded like a
moral equivocation or at
the very least moral
ambiguity when we need
extreme moral clarity,”
Ryan said of Trump.
“You’re not a good person
if you’re there, it’s so very
clear.”
The Ryan town hall began 30 minutes later than
originally planned to accommodate Trump’s
nationwide address where he outlined a new
strategy for troops in Afghanistan. Trump vowed to
keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan,
despite his earlier inclination to withdraw.
Ryan said he was “pleased” with what he heard
from Trump and that it represented a more
comprehensive strategy than what had been in
place under former President Barack Obama. Ryan
said he was also glad that Trump is moving away
from having a timetable for withdrawing from
Afghanistan and wants to prevent creating a safe
haven for terrorists.
“We can’t afford to allow that to happen again,”
Ryan said.
CNN extended invitations to people from Ryan’s
district and selected the questions that were
asked. That has led to criticism from Democrats
who say the Republican Ryan has been hiding from
Wisconsin voters since he hasn’t held a town hall
open to everyone since October 2015.
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who are careless with secrets shouldn’t be told
them
Ryan has held numerous events in Wisconsin, but
he’s only taken questions from the public in
controlled environments such as private
businesses.
“Hopefully the media event that occurred tonight
will convince Paul Ryan that talking to his
constituents is a good idea,” said U.S. Rep. Mark
Pocan, a Democrat representing a south-central
Wisconsin congressional district that’s next to
Ryan’s. “In the remaining weeks when Paul is
home, he might want to schedule a real town hall
or two and explain his health care bill that drops
tens of millions of people’s coverage, as well as
discuss his tax preferences that would give the top
1 per cent more tax breaks while working
Americans continue to struggle.”
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the town
hall, including Ryan’s Democratic opponent Randy
Bryce, who said he sought a ticket to attend but
was denied.
The Ryan town hall event was in Racine, near
where global electronics giant Foxconn Technology
Group has said it plans to build a factory that could
employ thousands. Ryan helped in negotiations
with the Taiwanese company and has joined with
Trump and others in touting the news as
transformational for Wisconsin’s economy.
Ryan defended the $3 billion tax incentive package
working its way through the Wisconsin Legislature
for Foxconn, citing the potential jobs and $10
billion in economic investment by the company,
calling it an “exceptional deal.”

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