House Speaker Ryan: GOP nominee must reject bigotry

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan said today anyone who wants to be the Republican presidential nominee must reject any racist group or individual.

Ryan made the tacit swipe at GOP front runner Donald Trump as voters in 11 states holding GOP contests headed to the polls on Super Tuesday. Ryan told reporters the GOP is the party of President Abraham Lincoln and "this party does not prey on people's prejudices."

Ryan was apparently referring to Trump's appearance Sunday on CNN when he declined to disavow the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and other white supremacists.

"When I see something that runs counter to who we are as a party and a country I will speak up. So today I want to be very clear about something: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican party there can be no evasion and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry," Ryan said.

Trump subsequently disavowed Duke, blaming his interview performance Sunday on a bad earpiece.

Ryan again said he plans to support whomever emerges as the GOP nominee but bemoaned the current discourse in the GOP and said it was time to get back to focusing on how Republicans would solve the nation's problems.

"We are the party of Lincoln," Ryan added. "We believe all people are created in the eyes of God and our government. This is fundamental. And if someone wants to be our nominee they must understand this."