By Jonathan Easley - 10/11/16 09:58 AM EDT
Donald Trump is doubling down in his attacks against House Speaker Paul Ryan, ripping the GOP leader as a “weak and ineffective leader” and casting a divided Republican Party into civil war one month before the election.
The Wisconsin Republican held a conference call with the House Republican Conference on Monday in which he said he’d no longer defend the Republican presidential nominee following the explosive revelation of Trump’s sexually charged statements about women.
Trump’s support is in free fall, with national polls showing him trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton by double-digits, and congressional leaders are panicked that the GOP nominee will cost them majorities in the House and Senate.
But Ryan’s call infuriated Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill, who lashed out at the Speaker for not being loyal to Trump.
Trump is taking Ryan’s slight personally, and on Monday morning unleashed a string of tweets that indicate he’ll attack Ryan and GOP leaders with the same vigor with which he’s attacking Clinton.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/house/300353-trump-unleashes-tweetstorm-on-ryan-widening-gop-divide