
It has been reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan has told
confidantes he is not seeking re-election and will soon announce his decision.
Ryan said in
a January interview with CBS News that re-election was a
decision he and his wife were planning to make together in late spring, and in
March he denied a
rumor that he wouldn't seek re-election.
He is expected
to address his decision in a closed-door GOP conference meeting Wednesday
morning, the sources said.
Supposedly Ryan
called House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy about his retirement before the
news broke.
Ryan, a
Wisconsin Republican, has been in Congress since 1999 and became House speaker
in 2015.
The news of
Ryan's retirement was first reported by Axios.
House Majority
Leader Kevin McCarthy and Whip Steve Scalise have started courting Republicans
in case the speaker retires.