Paul Ryan, Republican nominee for Vice-President, had an interesting experience while giving an interview to ABC 12 in Flint, Michigan. It seems as if the interviewer must have gotten underneath Ryan’s skin, or at least that of one of his handlers, causing the candidate to stand up and abruptly end the interview and walk off the set.
The clip (featured below), which had been posted to ABC 12’s website and captured by BuzzFeed before the station took it down, show’s Ryan being asked b a local reporter:
“Does this country have a gun problem?”
Ryan was quick to respond that he didn’t believe the country had a gun problem but that America “has a crime problem.” He further stated that the country has plenty of “good, strong gun laws,” and the key to making them work in enforcement, not new laws.
He then says to the interviewer:
“We have lots of laws that aren’t being properly enforced. We need to make sure we enforce these laws. But the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity in the inner cities, is to help people get out of poverty in the inner cities, is to help teach people good discipline, good character. That is civil society. That’s what charities, and civic groups, and churches do to help one another make sure that they can realize the value in one another.”
ABC 12’s interviewer then says,
“And you can do all that by cutting taxes? By… with a big tax cut?”
If the comment strikes you as odd, it struck Ryan and his handler (who off screen you can hear ending the interview) even odder as they decided that it was time to stop talking to the station.
Ryan still answered:
“Those are your words, not mine,”
You then hear Ryan’s handler off screen telling the reporter,”thank you very much, Sir,” implying an end to the interview. Ryan then stands up abruptly and says to the reporter:
“That was kind of strange. You’re trying to stuff words in people’s mouths?”
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Ryan, gave the following statement to Buzzfeed about the interview:
“The reporter knew he was already well over the allotted time for the interview when he decided to ask a weird question relating gun violence to tax cuts. Ryan responded as anyone would in such a strange situation. When you do nearly 200 interviews in a couple months, eventually you’re going to see a local reporter embarrass himself.”
Ryan has said before that he believes that conservatives face an inherent bias in the mainstream Media. Both Ryan and his running mate, Mitt Romney , have said it is to be expected that some reporters try to get their shots in.
Here is the video of Vice-Presidential candidate Paul Ryan ending the interview and leaving: