GOP Rep Brooks: Ryan Is ‘Strongly Open Borders,’ But Webster’s From ‘Liberal Half’ of Conference Like Ryan

Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL), a member of the House Freedom Caucus suggested that Republicans should “perhaps” look at someone other than Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), who he described as “from the liberal half” of the conference, as speaker and that Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL) is from the “liberal half” as well, although Webster isn’t “strongly amnesty, strongly open borders” like Ryan on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson” on the Fox News Channel.

Brooks stated, [relevant exchange begins around 1:20] “I do know Paul Ryan personally, and I’ve known him for a good number of years, and he’s very serious about the task that he undertakes. And, quite frankly, he has told us, the Republican conference, that he does not want to be speaker of the House, that his dream job is to be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He’s also told us that he doesn’t have the time to do the job as required, as indicated by the conduct of past speakers, his family comes first, that’s very noble. I’m glad that he’s that kind of person that puts his family first, but when he puts…constrictions on us, when he says that he doesn’t want the job, and then when he finally adds that I don’t have the time to do it because family comes first, that suggests to me that perhaps we should be looking at someone who does have the time, who doesn’t have kids of that age.”

Brooks added that “from a voting standpoint” Ryan and House Majority Leader Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) are “very similar. Both are from the liberal half of the Republican conference. But for that matter, if you look at Daniel Webster’s, voting record, and use say, Heritage Action as the yardstick, Daniel Webster’s also from the liberal half of the GOP conference. perhaps the biggest difference on a policy level, is that Paul Ryan is strongly amnesty, strongly open borders. You can look at his statements over the last 20 years. While Kevin McCarthy has that risk, because he’s from California, a sanctuary city state, tremendous pressure on him to be pro-amnesty and pro-open borders. Paul Ryan has visibly taken that position for decades.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett