Speaker Paul Ryan may be the most conflicted politico in Washington, D.C. at this very moment. He’s stuck between two candidates that he doesn’t like, but he must choose one. Naturally, he opposes the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, no matter what. And he isn’t particularly fond of Donald Trump. He eventually gave in and endorsed the real estate mogul, but his heart certainly wasn’t in it. From there, Ryan was rewarded for his mighty sacrifice with a wealth of embarrassment.
So, Ryan has spent the past month attempting to mitigate damage. He speaks to Republican unification where there’s none present, and he’s probably not sleeping much after Trump’s most recent controversy over a sheriff’s badge the Star of David. On Tuesday morning, Ryan swept up the holiday weekend’s ruckus while telling WTMJ in Milwaukee, “Look, anti-Semitic images, they’ve got no place in a presidential campaign … candidates should know that.”
Ryan addressed this mess and perhaps thought he could rest for a day or so, but no. He turned around and noticed that Trump was praising Saddam Hussein’s ability to disregard the due process and civil liberties of his own citizens. What was Ryan to do? He hustled over to The Kelly Files where recovering lawyer Megyn Kelly assessed the FBI’s recommendation for Clinton and her private email server. Ryan admitted, “Your legal background is certainly deeper than mine … I … do other things here.”
The subject turned to Trump’s admiration for Hussein, and Ryan responded:
“He was one the 20th century’s most evil people. He was up there. He committed mass genocide against his own people using chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein was a bad guy.”
One wonders how long Ryan will put up with mopping up these Trump spills. Kelly tested the matter, and Ryan once again waved off the notion that he’d be contesting the Republican National Convention. He articulated that Trump has won the votes, and that’s all there is to it. The Hussein comments begin at around 6:00 in this Fox News clip.