A Father’s Day profile of House Speaker Paul Ryan in the celebrity lifestyle magazine People portrays the lawmaker as a devoted father who takes his kids’ sugar intake seriously.
But the story also contains a curious disclaimer noting Ryan requested the magazine not ask him about his party’s presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, as a condition of the interview.
That disclaimer reads:
And while his job does require some weekend phone calls to take care of business, Ryan says he doesn’t want to talk politics with his kids. (Or with PEOPLE. One condition of the Speaker getting on the phone for the magazine’s special Fathers’ Day gallery was that he not be asked about his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, whom Ryan has famously declined so far to endorse.)
When People’s writer made a closing joke about Trump, Ryan responded with a chuckle, “I’m hanging up now!” before ending the call, according to the story, which ran online under the magazine’s Celebrity Babies vertical.
Asked about the arrangement, Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement to TPM: “There were no conditions, just the normal inquiries to make sure a Father’s Day interview was actually about Father’s Day. We think it turned out well.”
Ryan: As the nominal head of the Republican National Convention I’m begging you: DO NOT ask me about our candidate.
The GOP has tons and tons of statehouses, governors, a lock on the House of Reps and die-hard fans who are mesmerized by their hugely successful media empire.
And the party is broke, has a mean, shameless, ignorant, lying clown for a presidential candidate, and no leadership whatsoever in the house or senate.
I don’t get it.
Coward!
Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement to TPM: “There were no conditions, just the normal inquiries to make sure a Father’s Day interview was actually about Father’s Day…”
I don’t know if People Magazine’s editors did that on purpose, but it’s very appropriate.