House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Monday said charges brought against members of President Donald Trump’s campaign are not going to have any effect on Congress.
“I really don’t have anything to add, other than: Nothing is going to derail what we’re doing in Congress,” Ryan said on conservative Wisconsin talk radio station WTAQ.
Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and his business associate Rick Gates, on Monday surrendered to the FBI and were charged with 12 counts, including conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the U.S. and making false statements.
Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier in October to making false statements to FBI agents. The case against Papadopoulos was unsealed Monday.
Manafort, Gates and Papadopoulos were charged as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Asked to comment on the charges Monday afternoon, Ryan said, “I have nothing to add to the indictments, because I haven’t even read the indictments.”
He said it was “big news, but this is what you get from a special counsel.”
“They’ve made an indictment. I really have nothing to add because I haven’t even read it, so I’m not going to speculate on something I haven’t read,” Ryan said. “So there’s just no point in doing that.”
Pressed to respond to special counsel indictments, Speaker Ryan says, "I'm not going to speculate on something I haven't read." pic.twitter.com/Xf7rVXWgLD
— ABC News (@ABC) October 30, 2017
This post has been updated.
“Won’t derail what we’ve been doing”
Looks like that’s been taken care of already. There seems to be a Lafite-Rothschild stain on your tie, Paul.
Nice lunch?
How does one “derail” that which is not happening?
You are technically correct, Mr. Speaker!
The vacuum in charge of the vacuum sucks…
Wouldn’t you love to be listening in to the whispered GOP conversations right now?!? Having a good day guys? This is only the beginning. Besides, what (in terms of actual accomplishments) is there to actually derail?
“I’ve been at the gym; haven’t seen the news”