Paul Ryan said he doesn't normally cry, but 'found himself sobbing' while watching the Jan 6. insurrection, book says
- Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said he began to cry while watching the Jan. 6 riot on television.
- Ryan told journalist Mark Leibovich the Capitol riots "disturbed" him, CNN reported.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan was so "disturbed" by the events of the January 6 riots that he "found himself sobbing" while watching the events on television.
Ryan, a Republican, told journalist Mark Leibovich for his upcoming book "Thank You For Your Servitude" that he often did not cry but "something snapped in him" that day, CNN reported.
"I spent my whole adult life in that building," Ryan said. "And I saw my friends, a lot of cops, some of my old security detail – I'm still friends with a bunch of those guys. It really disturbed me, foundationally."
Ryan spent 20 years representing Wisconsin's 1st district in the US House of Representatives before retiring in 2019.
While Speaker of the House, Ryan had been critical of Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans aligned with Trump.
Ryan and Trump have continued to clash.
In June, Ryan told an audience during a political event in South Carolina that Congressional Republicans "didn't have the guts" to impeach Trump following the January 6 riot. Trump replied, calling him a "pathetic loser" and "weak RINO" — meaning Republican In Name Only — on his social media platform Truth Social.
Ryan publicly denounced GOP leaders in his state in 2021 after they pursued a $680,000 audit and investigation into the results of the 2020 election.
"It was not rigged. It was not stolen. Donald Trump lost the election. Joe Biden won the election. It's really clear," Ryan told Wisconsin's ABC affiliate WISN 12.
"Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission," follows the story of how Trump came to dominate the GOP and features interviews from prominent Republican leaders like Sen. Lindsay Graham, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
American Idea Foundation, founded by Ryan, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.