Paul Ryan: I can't defend Trump, now focusing on saving GOP majority

America’s highest-ranking Republican tells lawmakers he will no longer campaign with nominee, but stops short of rescinding endorsement

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan told his party Monday that he will no longer defend Donald Trump, and is now focusing on ensuring Hillary Clinton doesn’t get a blank check as president with a Democratic-controlled Congress.

The comments by the most senior Republican suggest he doesn’t believe Trump can win the election, although his office was quick to announce he was not conceding the outcome of the November 8 vote. Pro-Trump GOP House members, however, got that impression and pushed back, saying Trump can still win and should not be abandoned.

In a Monday conference call with GOP lawmakers, Ryan said he wouldn’t appear with the Republican presidential candidate for the rest of the campaign. Several people on the call said Ryan explicitly told House members, “You all need to do what’s best for you in your district.”

The remarkable development came as Trump battled to rescue his campaign after the release last week of a 2005 video in which he is heard bragging about how his fame allowed him to “do anything” to women, including grabbing their genitalia. Several leading Republicans have withdrawn their support or called for him to drop out of the race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKB92ohXn20

Ryan said Friday that he was “sickened” by the revelation, and cancelled a joint appearance scheduled for the following day.

The speaker’s message appeared to signal his disbelief in Trump’s ability to turn the campaign around with four weeks until Election Day, though he didn’t actually revoke his endorsement. He said his decision was driven by what he thought was best for the Republican-led Congress, not himself, according to people on the call.

Those lawmakers weren’t authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity.

Ryan said he will “spend his entire energy making sure that Hillary Clinton does not get a blank check with a Democrat-controlled Congress,” one such person said. Ryan added that he was “willing to endure political pressure to help protect our majority.”

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, and US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, October 9, 2016. (AFP/Robyn Beck)

In the eyes of many Republican leaders, the recent released tape of a 2005 conversation in which Trump made vulgar, predatory comments about women not only jeopardized his own uphill candidacy, but that of Republicans fighting to hold their majority in the Senate. Their commanding majority in the House could now be in peril, too.