Free Republic

Who’s “we,” kemosabe? Twenty-four hours ago, over Ryan’s own objection, House Republicans were all set to revamp the Office of Congressional Ethics. Then Trump logged into Twitter and, three hours later, the plan was scrapped. Members of Ryan’s caucus were eager to reassure the media yesterday that it wasn’t Trump’s influence that made them reconsider, it was the barrage of angry phone calls their offices were getting from grassroots Republicans, but that seems to be a partial explanation at best: OVERHEARD in the Speaker's lobby: "The guy puts out a tweet and half our conference goes nuts. What are...

The House Freedom Caucus is almost certainly going to organize against a nascent potential House Speakership bid from House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) after he began “running his mouth” on Tuesday evening, several senior House GOP aides close to the process told Breitbart News. Ryan’s office confirms to Breitbart News that he is unlikely to move forward with an effort to run for the Speakership if something doesn’t drastically change quickly. “He had a shot before he started running his mouth,” one senior GOP aide to a senior House Freedom Caucus member said when reached...

Paul Ryan's conditional run for speaker is fell flat with at least one key conservative Tuesday night, who said his candidate remains Rep. Daniel Webster, a member who is pledging to end the "top down" leadership approach. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., head of the House Tea Party Caucus, called Ryan's conditions for becoming the next speaker "entirely unreasonable." Those conditions include a request that the House eliminate a rule that allows a member to seek a vote to oust the speaker. That provision is part of the original rules of the House, authored by Thomas Jefferson. "No other speaker I...