CBS’s Cordes: Ryan Now Telling Those Close to Him He’s Open to Running for Speaker

DICKERSON: “One last question to you, Nancy, before we leave, is Paul Ryan, the question for who is going to be the Speaker of the House. Where does that stand before Republicans come back to town?”
CORDES: “Well, there is some news on that front and that is that after weeks if not years of saying, no way, no how, Paul Ryan is now telling those close to him that he is open to running for Speaker. But there is a big caveat, which is that he’s not going to campaign for the support of these 40 or so very conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus. He says he’s got a record of conservative leadership; either they believe in that record or they don’t. The problem is they’re looking for very significant concessions in exchange for their support. They want new rules, for example. He says if he doesn’t get the sense that they’re going to be behind him he’ll stay where he is as the chair of Ways and Means, which is some place he was very happy with.”
DICKERSON: “They’ve got to come to him and there’s no real other alternative. Thank you all for joining me today.”