Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) speaks at a House Budget Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in May. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)A Minnesota congressman locked in a tight reelection battle is finding it difficult to escape his past remarks as a conservative talk-radio host, but he won tentative support this week from House Speaker Paul D. Ryan as Democrats attack him for those utterances. CNN, delving into a trove of old recordings, has surfaced numerous controversial statements from Rep. Jason Lewis (R), who is in his first term representing a suburban district south of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ryan, in an address to congressional interns Wednesday, decried coarse political rhetoric and urged the youngsters to remember Americans’ “common humanity” when engaging in debate. “The failure of Jason Lewis and members of his Party to denounce these remarks is proof they stand by them,” she said in a statement.

Source: Washington Post July 27, 2018 20:57 UTC