Ryan makes first public comments on chaplain firing
WASHINGTON _ Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Monday made his first public comments on his decision to fire House Chaplain Patrick J. Conroy, repeating the rationale he provided in a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting Friday.
"Father Conroy is a good man and I am grateful for his many years of service to the House," the Wisconsin Republican said at the Weekly Standard's Midwest Conservative Summit in Milwaukee. "This is not about politics or prayers. It was about pastoral services. And a number of our members felt like the pastoral services were not being adequately served or offered."
Ryan said one of his responsibilities as speaker is to be "a guardian of the institution" and that sometimes involves making decisions that may not be politically popular. He said his decision to request Conroy's resignation was made on behalf of the House and was something he had been contemplating for some time.
"It's based on feedback I've been getting for quite a while from members," the speaker said. "And again as a person who stands up for the institution I just wanted to make sure that we have pastoral services that are being adequately offered on a go forward basis for all of our members."
Ryan's decision was effectively backed by a majority of House Republicans who on Friday voted to table a Democratic resolution to form a select committee to look into the circumstances surrounding Conroy's ouster.
_CQ Roll Call
