Paul Ryan Defends Donald Trump: "He's Just New To This"

Paul Ryan

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan suggested during comments to the press today that President Trump's request to James Comey to drop FBI investigations into Michael Flynn could stem from his lack of experience in government.

From The Hill:

“Of course there needs to be a degree of independence between [the Department of Justice], FBI, and the White House and a line of communication’s established,” Ryan told reporters.

“The president’s new at this. He’s new to government. So he probably wasn’t steeped in the long-running protocols that establish the relationships between DOJ, the FBI and White Houses. He’s just new to this.”

Another reporter later pressed Ryan on why inexperience is an “acceptable excuse” for Trump’s behavior.

“I’m not saying it’s an acceptable excuse. It’s just my observation,” Ryan replied. “He’s new at government and so therefore I think that he’s learning as he goes.”

The night before, Ryan told MSNBC's Greta Van Susteren that it was "obviously" inappropriate for Trump to ask for Comey's loyalty.

“The President’s new at this”: House Speaker Paul Ryan defends President Trump's interactions with James Comey https://t.co/kcvID85H8E pic.twitter.com/s1s6FkO1YW

— CNN (@CNN) June 8, 2017