Former Speaker of the House and Fox News Board Member Paul Ryan dismissed claims the historic indictment against Trump is politically motivated while simultaneously arguing that it should prevent Trump from becoming the GOP nominee in 2024.
While Ryan acknowledged the charges brought against Trump in New York were “petty” and most likely “political” in nature, he argued the 37-count indictment leveled against the former president on the federal level was “different.” Speaking from his own experience, Ryan told CBS’ Gayle King as Speaker of the House he was privy to similar documents, leading him to conclude the allegations against Trump were rooted in matters related to national security and not “some petty thing.” (RELATED: Paul Ryan Thinks Young Kids Being Given Porn In School Libraries Is Somehow A Fake Issue)
“My guess is Trump will play this politically pretty well and make this weaponization argument,” Ryan stated, pointing out previously held arguments in relation to President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice and a perceived political bias within the FBI. While Ryan, who admittedly is “not a Trump fan”, acknowledged some “political sting” with the indictment, he argued the “baggage” of Trump’s legal problems would ultimately make him unelectable.
“I want to win,” Ryan told King. “And if we nominate Trump, we’re gonna lose.”
Ryan argued that Trump had not won anything since 2016. “We lost the House in ’18, we lost the Presidency in ’20, we’ve lost the Senate,” Ryan stated, adding that he believed Republicans would have won the Senate in ’22 had it not been for Trump and his “nominees.” Ryan further argued Republicans could have picked up 10-15 seats in the House without Trump’s endorsements.
“I think the electability argument is going to become more salient with this indictment and whatever happens in the future. All the exhaustion of all the Trump baggage is going to make it easier now, I think, to make the argument to his core supporters: he’s not electable, he’s gonna cost us the Senate again, he’s gonna cost us more House seats,” Ryan stated.