Report: Paul Ryan Open To Speakership, But Not Bargaining With Hardliners

An anonymous ally of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) told CBS News that the House Ways and Means chair is warming up to the idea of running for House speaker, but will not engage in any “horse trading” with the conservative hardliners who so far have roiled GOP leadership in recent months.

According to the report, Ryan will only run if he can gain the support of his caucus on his conservative record alone, which has been questioned by some on the hard right. CBS News’ source said Ryan would consider meeting with the hardliners — oft associated with the House Freedom Caucus — but would not submit to any of the concessions the group has sought to extract from a future speaker.

“[H]e’s not going to go to the Freedom Caucus and say, ‘I’ll do this and this’…otherwise you’ve sold yourself to them from the very beginning, and set yourself up for failure,” the CBS News source said.

The House reconvenes Tuesday evening and Republicans will likely gather in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning, where it is expected Ryan will be asked to address the caucus, according to the report.

Current House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has indicated he would like to step down at the end of the month after an Oct. 29 vote to replace him. However, the election schedule has been in flux since his presumed successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), dropped out of the speaker’s race.