Speaker Ryan to House GOP: Trump comments ‘not who we are’

In this Dec. 1, 2015, photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., meets with reporters following a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congressional Republicans are pressing for an end to the four-decade ban on exporting crude oil and further curbs on President Barack Obama’s environmental agenda as part of a sweeping $1.1 trillion spending bill. Days from a Dec. 11 midnight deadline, progress has proven elusive for negotiators who also are trying to hammer out a separate measure to renew dozen of expired tax breaks. The two bills are the major item of unfinished business for this session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) In this Dec. 1, 2015, photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., meets with reporters following a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congressional Republicans are pressing for an end to the four-decade ban on exporting crude oil and further curbs on President Barack Obama’s environmental agenda as part of a sweeping $1.1 trillion spending bill. Days from a Dec. 11 midnight deadline, progress has proven elusive for negotiators who also are trying to hammer out a separate measure to renew dozen of expired tax breaks. The two bills are the major item of unfinished business for this session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Associated Press December 8, 2015 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday dismissed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments on Muslims, saying such views are “not what this party stands for and more importantly it’s not what this country stands for.”

Speaking to reporters after a closed-door GOP caucus meeting, Ryan addressed Trump’s remarks – without mentioning his name. The speaker said he doesn’t normally comment on the presidential race but was making an exception.

“Freedom of religion is a fundamental constitutional principle…This is not conservatism what was proposed yesterday, is not what this party stands for and more importantly it’s not what this country stands for,” Ryan said.

The Wisconsin Republican said many Muslims served the country and work in Congress. He said the “vast, vast majority of them are peaceful.”

Trump on Monday called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” in the wake of attacks at home and abroad. Trump’s proposed ban would apply to immigrants and visitors alike.