Former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan claimed that more House Republicans would have impeached former President Donald Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot if they had the “guts” to do so.
Paul Ryan made his pronouncement while campaigning for Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), one of the 10 House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump following the riot.
“There were a lot of people who wanted to vote like Tom but who just didn’t have the guts to do it,” Ryan said. “There are a lot of people who say they’re going to vote their conscious, they’re going to vote for the Constitution, they’re going to vote for their convictions but when it gets hard to do that they don’t do it.”
“Tom Rice is a man of conviction,” Ryan added. “Tom Rice is the kind of person you want in Congress.”
Ryan scolded Republicans for joining the former president in his quest for “vengeance” on those who crossed him..
“This is just such a crystal clear case where you have a hard working, effective, senior member of Congress who deserves reelection vs. people who are just trying to be celebrities who may be trying to help Trump with his vengeance,” Ryan said. ”
“That’s not who voters want. Voters want people focused on their solutions not on Trump’s vengeance, and that to me is a really clear cut case here,” he added.
Former President Trump has endorsed South Carolina state Rep. Russell Fry in the primary against Rice. “Congressman Tom Rice of South Carolina, the coward who abandoned his constituents by caving to Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left, and who actually voted against me on Impeachment Hoax #2, must be thrown out of office ASAP,” Trump said in a statement.
As noted by Business Insider, Ryan’s comments follow his appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box wherein he said that Republicans are aiming to become celebrities with their own podcasts.