With Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., now all but assured of winning election as speaker of the House, legislation to legalize millions of illegal immigrants is more likely, journalist Byron York said on Friday.
Speaking on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” York said one man stopped the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill in 2013 — Speaker John Boehner.
“The one person who singlehandedly stopped the Gang of Eight bill from becoming law is John Boehner,” he said. “Because he could have put that up for a vote. And it would have passed, with 188 Democrats voting for it and then enough Republicans to get it to 218.”
York said, “It’s going to be a long fight with Paul Ryan.”
But what if the Wisconsin congressman had been in the speaker’s chair at the time? York asked.
“Can anybody say that if Paul Ryan had been speaker in 2013 that comprehensive — that the Gang of Eight bill would not have passed the House?” he said. “I believe it would have … It would have passed and become law.”
For people strongly opposed to loosening immigration restrictions, York said, “It’s going to be a long fight with Paul Ryan.”
On another topic, York said the House committee investigating the deaths Americans during an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, “incrementally advanced our knowledge” of the September 2012 incident, but not enough.
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That included, York said, that Hillary Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal had instant access to the secretary of state while Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’ plea for more security fell on deaf ears. Also, he added, the hearing made clearer something already known — the Obama administration knew it was off base to blame an anti-Islamic video for the attack on the compound.
However, “Those two revelations were not enough to sustain an 11-hour hearing,” he said.
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