The Trump Campaign Has Bogus New Line On Why Trump Snubbed Paul Ryan
Donald Trump's campaign team came out on Thursday with a bogus new explanation for why Trump declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in his primary. His aides said the campaign has a policy of not getting involved in primaries. But that explanation rings hollow.
When Trump hesitated on Tuesday to endorse Ryan in his primary, he made no mention of a wish to stay neutral in Republican primaries. He simply said, "Im just not quite there yet." On top of that, Trump hasn't actually stayed neutral in the primaries. He endorsed Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) in the primary she lost back in June, and he even recorded a robocall for her.
Despite Trump's past involvement in a House primary race, campaign chair Paul Manafort used that explanation in more than one interview Thursday morning. During an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," host George Stephanopoulos noted that Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus was reportedly unhappy with Trump's hesitance to back Ryan and asked Manafort whether Trump will endorse Ryan.
Manafort indicated that there's a "conflict" over whether to back Ryan, but said that the campaign had decided to stay away from primary races.
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-no-primary-endorsements