Today, as Paul Ryan accepts the Speaker’s gavel, he does so under a cloud of shame – thanks to Donald Trump. Trump’s appointment of a dangerous white nationalist, Steve Bannon, to a senior role in his White House represented Speaker Ryan’s first leadership test of Trump’s presidency, one he failed spectacularly. Ryan and House Republicans have a responsibility to hold Donald Trump and his administration accountable, and instead of meeting that test, Ryan has faithfully and shamefully carried President-Elect Trump’s water by supporting and defending Bannon’s appointment.
“After spending months putting party over country and serving as Donald Trump’s highest-ranking Republican endorser, it’s disappointing but not surprising that Paul Ryan has refused to denounce President-Elect Trump’s decision to install a white nationalist in the White House,” said Christie Stephenson of the DCCC. “Speaker Ryan may have won his leadership election, but the majority of Americans are still waiting for him to find his supposed principles and hold Trump accountable. If he refuses to do so and stand up for the American people, Paul Ryan might as well hand his gavel over to Donald Trump, too.”