Mike Pence Won't Say Whether Ryan Should Be House Speaker

By ERICA WERNER, AP CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT WASHINGTON — Nov 3, 2016, 1:43 PM ET

Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence declined to say whether Paul Ryan should be re-elected as speaker of the House, withholding support from a close friend and ally in the heated final days of the presidential campaign.

Pence's comments in an interview published Thursday in the National Review were startling because Pence and Ryan served together in the House and have been seen as ideological soul mates. Ryan heaped praise on the Indiana governor when Donald Trump selected him as his running mate, saying "I can think of no better choice."

And in August, when Trump briefly withheld his endorsement from Ryan in the speaker's Wisconsin House primary, Pence was quick to publicly declare his own backing of Ryan.

But as the chaotic 2016 election draws to a close, Ryan faces rumblings of a leadership challenge from House conservatives frustrated with his declaration last month that he would no longer defend or campaign for Trump. That followed release of the "Access Hollywood" tape with Trump boasting of groping women and saying he could get away with it because he's a star.

And now Pence appears unwilling to offer a full-throated endorsement of Ryan.

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