Pelosi: Ryan’s Firing Of House Chaplain Is ‘Unjust,’ ‘Sad’ And ‘Bewildering’

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08:  U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R) (R-WI) speaks with House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) following an event marking the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act at the U.S. Capitol December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. The bill, passed with strong bipartisan support, provides funding for cancer research, the fight against the epidemic of opioid abuse, mental health treatment, aids the Food and Drug Administration in expediting drug approvals and pushes for better use of technology in medicine.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R) (R-WI) speaks with House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) following an event marking the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act at the U.S... WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R) (R-WI) speaks with House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) following an event marking the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act at the U.S. Capitol December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. The bill, passed with strong bipartisan support, provides funding for cancer research, the fight against the epidemic of opioid abuse, mental health treatment, aids the Food and Drug Administration in expediting drug approvals and pushes for better use of technology in medicine. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blasted House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) Friday for abruptly dismissing House Chaplain Rev. Patrick Conroy, calling the firing “unwarranted,” “hard to understand” and “impossible to support.”

“It is my hope that we will honor Father Conroy’s service by pursuing justice and making clear the true motivations of this unjust action,” she said in a statement. “I have expressed my forceful disagreement with this decision to the Speaker. It is truly sad that he made this decision, and it is especially bewildering that he did so only a matter of months before the end of his term.”

Ryan’s office reportedly disputes Pelosi’s claim that she was outraged by the firing when he made the decision in mid-April. A spokeswoman for Ryan said that Pelosi was passive when she first heard the decision. “While it was the speaker’s decision, she and her office were fully read in, and did not object,” AshLee Strong said to the Washington Post.

Pelosi denies that claim. In her statement, she also expressed support for the motion from Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) brought to the floor on Friday to establish a special committee to investigate the firing. The motion was killed by Republicans, with only two defecting to vote with the Democrats.

Early Friday morning, Ryan held a meeting with House Republicans where he assured them that the dismissal was not politically motivated, though some speculate that it was prompted by a prayer Conroy said on the day that the House was marking up the GOP tax bill. He prayed that the bill would not create “winners and losers” but that its benefits be “balanced and shared by all.”

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Notable Replies

  1. If there was a God, Ryan would end up a penniless pauper.

  2. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    I wonder if there’s a passage in Atlas Shrugged about stabbing a chaplain in the back if he criticizes your precious tax cuts. Tax cuts you only passed by backing a despicable monster every step of the way.

  3. Like Rachel said last night …In a normal world this would be a major scandal playing out for a week …
    These days a footnote and on to the next Trump/ Maladministration outrage/scandal.
    Take note and move on
    Question of the day from twitter
    Who fires a House Chaplin and not Kevin Nunes?

  4. This is exactly what happened. rAyn, a Catholic, doesn’t like the notion of a Catholic priest being concerned for the welfare of people because rAyn himself would rather see more “losers” and no “winners” with costs being borne by the poor and not the rich.

  5. Didn’t Ryan already get chastised by the US Catholic Bishops for his position with respect to the poor? Would be nice if the Pope chimed in - excommunication anyone?

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