House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was unanimously selected to be his conference nominee to continue as speaker next Congress, is totally unconcerned with Steve Bannon, the anti-Semitic white nationalist who Donald Trump has tapped to be his chief strategist in the White House. He doesn't even care that Bannon has attacked him, personally.
Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday deflected questions about Breitbart’s controversial coverage of his personal life under the direction of top Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Ryan was asked about earlier Breitbart stories that criticized his decision to enroll his children in private school, questioned his Catholic faith and promoted his Trump-inspired primary opponent.
“I’m not looking backwards; I’m looking forward,” Ryan responded.. “I’m looking to the future and I’m looking forward to how we make this work for the American people and how we make President Trump the most successful president in a lifetime."
Note that Ryan left out a key part—the "white" American people in Republican districts who are wealthy enough to qualify for his tax breaks. That's Paul Ryan's America. All of the GOP’s America. Of course, the white nationalist stuff isn't going to bother them—they've got one in their own leadership, Steve Scalise. By the way, he was also unanimously approved today. So what if he hangs out with David Duke?
Ryan, like Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, is just gleeful that he's got a rubber stamp in the White House now. He's not going to make waves with Trump and team at this point because he thinks—because he has a "plan"—he's the guy in charge and a happy Trump will do his bidding.
He might think again on Bannon, however, because if you can judge by what's been going on over at Breitbart, Bannon's in no mood to bury that hatchet.
"Breitbart has continued to challenge Ryan since the election. It published a few stories last weekend critical of the speaker's comments about Trump and immigration. One described Ryan as supportive of 'open borders and cheap labor,' a characterization that Ryan and his allies would dispute."
For now, though, Ryan is all happiness and racist light: "I talk with Donald Trump virtually every day. I spoke with Mike Pence this morning. We're working hand-in-glove and we're going to make sure this is a very successful administration." You go with that, Ryan. We’ll see how long it lasts.