Ryan fends off Trump questions

Speaker Paul Ryan found himself in a familiar spot Tuesday: responding to controversial statements from President Trump.

At his weekly news conference, the Wisconsin Republican fended off tough questions about false assertions the new commander in chief had made, Trump’s attacks on a federal judge and his remarks that replacing ObamaCare might spill into 2018.

Ryan sidestepped a reporter who asked if he’s troubled by Trump’s accusation that the “dishonest press” is failing to cover major terrorist attacks.

“We do have a war on terror in front of us. We do have ISIS trying to conduct terrorist attacks across the globe,” Ryan said. “This is a real serious problem, and what I’m focused on is doing our job and making sure that our law enforcement authority have the tools they need to make us safe.

{mosads}“I can’t speak to whether you are over or under reporting something, that’s your job. I’ll stick with doing mine.”

Similar exchanges have occurred almost daily during the opening weeks of the new administration as White House aides and allies on Capitol Hill scramble to defend or clarify the president’s remarks.

Next, Ryan was quizzed about Trump’s attacks on the “so-called judge” who blocked the president’s executive order halting refugees and banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations.

“We respect an independent judiciary,” the Speaker, the co-head of the legislative branch, made clear. “This is a separate branch of government.

“Look he’s not the first president to get frustrated from a ruling from the court,” Ryan continued, noting that the Justice Department is appealing the lower court’s decision. “This administration is honoring the ruling and this administration is going through the proper procedures to try to get the ruling overturned. They are going through the appeals process. They’re respecting separation of powers. …

“I know he’s an unconventional president. He gets frustrated with judges; we get frustrated with judges, but he’s respecting the process and that’s what counts at the end of the day.”

Finally, Ryan was asked about Trump’s Super Bowl interview with Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly during which the president said the GOP plan to replace ObamaCare could take until 2018, a huge concern for both conservatives and Republicans facing tough reelections.

Ryan clarified the legislation will be wrapped up this year, though its implementation could take longer.

“The legislating is going to be done this year. We are going to be done legislating with respect to health care and ObamaCare this year,” Ryan explained. “The question is how long does it take to implement the full replacement of ObamaCare, and that’s why we’ve got to get [Trump’s top health officials confirmed] so they can get to work on replacing this collapsing law.”