Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is cautioning Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) against biting off more than he can chew should he assume the Speakership.
“My only advice to Paul would be go slow and make sure your conference talks to itself enough so that before they hire somebody, they know what they want in the job and know what they’re willing to do to make the job successful,” he told host Gretchen Carlson on Fox News’s “The Real Story.”
{mosads}“Anyone who rushes in without fixing that underlying problem is going to end up in the same difficulty as Speaker [John] Boehner [R-Ohio] in three to four weeks,” Gingrich added.
Pressure is mounting on Ryan to fill the upcoming vacancy following Boehner’s departure from Congress at month’s end.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.) shocked lawmakers last week by leaving the race for Boehner’s position despite his status as the front-runner.
Gingrich argued on Wednesday that the GOP’s recent House leadership turmoil shows there are deep cracks in overall Republican unity there.
“My only caution is [that] when you lose the Majority Leader Eric Cantor [R-Va.], then you lose the Speaker John Boehner, then Kevin McCarthy, the new majority leader, can’t form a majority, there’s a problem bigger than personality,” he said.
Ryan has since remained silent on whether he is entering the race for the Speakership mantle before October’s end.
Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) remain the only official candidates for the position thus far.
Gingrich praised Ryan on Wednesday for what he would potentially bring into the race.
“I think Paul Ryan is probably the brightest member of the House,” he said. “I think he has made amazing contributions in policy.”
Ryan’s office announced on Monday that no formal announcement concerning his final decision on the Speakership is coming this week. He is currently in Janesville, Wis., with his family for this week’s congressional recess.
Callista Gingrich said on Wednesday that her husband is not rescuing House Republicans should Ryan and their other options not materialize.
“I think it is really unlikely Newt will become Speaker,” she said. “I think he will really be able to help moving forward.”