House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has absolutely no say whatsoever on Supreme Court nominations since the House has absolutely no say whatsoever on Supreme Court nominations, nonetheless weighs in.
First he tweeted: "The #SupremeCourt is not an extension of the White House. Congress, as an equal branch, has every right NOT to confirm someone." Then he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"We are knee deep into a presidential election and I think the precedent for not filling a Supreme Court vacancy in such a time is justified. […]
"The president has tried everything he can to empower the executive branch at the expense of the legislative one," Ryan continued. "His Supreme Court nominees have all contributed to that, those that he has placed on the bench already. So not only does Congress have the authority to stop a nominee, it has an obligation to defend itself against a president and a radically altered court that would continue to seize its powers."
Let's rework that a bit: The Republican Congress has tried everything it could to cripple every branch of government, including the judiciary, because destroying government is the only unifying issue in the party.
Why is Ryan adding his unnecessary voice to the fight? Well, there's the part where he's an ideological little asshole. Or maybe it's the possibility that he's reading desperate pundits who are grasping at straws and pining for him to sweep into a Republican convention and become the nominee. Yes, the same Paul Ryan who can’t control his own little band of House maniacs.