Rep. [crscore]Paul Ryan[/crscore] insists he is not the “fresh face” Karl Rove called to be nominated at the Republican convention instead of Donald Trump, [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore], or John Kasich.
In an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Monday, the Wisconsin congressman said, “I think you need to run for president if you’re going to be president, and I’m not running for president. So period, end of story.” (RELATED: Rove: Scrap Trump, Cruz And Kasich And Go With A ‘Fresh Face’ [AUDIO])
Hewitt asked if he thought the “rules of the 2012 Convention ought to bind” the 2016 convention, and Ryan replied, “You know, I don’t know, that’s not my decision. That is going to be up to the delegates. I’m going to be an honest broker, and make sure that the convention follows the rules as the delegates make the rules.”
“As you probably know, the Rules Committee meets the week before the convention. I believe it’s two delegates from each state and territory, about 112 people…who’ll set the rules, and I’m not going to make an opinion or a judgment one way or the other, because it’s their decision, the delegates’ decision, who are the grassroots of the party, by the way.”
“It should not be our decision as leaders. It is the delegates’ decision,” Ryan insisted. “So I’m not going to comment on what these rules look like or not. But I do believe people put my name in this thing, and I say get my name out of that. This is, if you want to be president, you should go run for president. And that’s just the way I see it.”
Hewitt followed up, asking, “So you’re not the fresh face that Karl Rove was talking about?”
Ryan replied laughing, “No, I’m not the fresh face– I’m not that person– I’d like to think my face is somewhat fresh, but I’m not for this conversation. I think you need to run for president if you’re going to be president, and I’m not running for president. So period, end of story.”
In an interview last week with Hewitt, Rove ignited a firestorm after calling for a “fresh face” to be the Republican nominee because he foresees problems for the Republican party against the Democrats if Trump, Cruz, or Kasich were to be the nominee.
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