Esquire's Charles Pierce unleashed on Paul Ryan on MSNBC's All In on Monday during a panel discussion on a possible presidential bid by the House speaker: "I think he's as ambitious as Satan. I think he doesn't want to go out in the country where he was already deemed not worthy of the vice presidency, and try to run for president. But if they offer him the crown, he would loathe to lay his hands off it. So, yeah, I think he's running." [video below]
Host Chris Hayes brought on Pierce and The Nation's Joan Walsh for their take on the rumors that Speaker Ryan may emerge as the presidential candidate at a contested Republican National Convention. Walsh underlined, in part, that if the Wisconsin congressman "wanted to shoot down a rumor....you do not, then, cut an ad that looks like a campaign ad talking to those fresh faced, white, Capitol Hill interns. You do not go on a grand tour."
Hayes then turned to Pierce, and pointed out that Ryan's press office "released a whole memo to NBC News in response to all the speculation — Speaker Ryan not running: 'He's not, and won't. It's that simple.'" He asked the Esquire writer-at-large, "Do you buy it?" Pierce immediately launched a blast at the Republican politician: "May I refer to the honorable gentleman as 'dodgy Paul'?" He continued with his "ambitious as Satan" remark about the House speaker.
The MSNBC anchor replied, "Do you say he was as ambitious as Satan?" When Pierce answered, "Yes," Hayes quipped, "That's very ambitious. I don't know if he's that ambitious."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the Walsh/Pierce segment from MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes on April 11, 2016:
CHRIS HAYES: It's fair to say Paul Ryan is the most powerful Republican in America, particularly since he also will be, in his capacity as the speaker, the chair of the likely-to-be contested Republican National Convention.
Joining me now: MSNBC political analyst Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent of The Nation, who is a supporter of Hillary Clinton; and Charlie Pierce, writer-at-large for Esquire. Okay — doth protest too much?
JOAN WALSH, THE NATION: Yes! I mean, come on! He's such a Boy Scout. He's prepared. Chris, if you and I wanted to shoot down a rumor and say, Chris Hayes is absolutely not running for president — which I know you're not — you do not—
HAYES: Well — well, let's not shoot that down too much—
WALSH: Well, I shouldn't take — I should not take your hopes away from you—
HAYES: Let that float out there a little bit, okay? (laughs)
WALSH: Okay. Let's — we got it out. We successfully got it out there—
HAYES: (laughs) Nice work!
WALSH: You do not, then, cut an ad that looks like a campaign ad talking to those fresh faced, white, Capitol Hill interns. You do not go on a grand tour. You do not meet with — he's apparently meeting — there are stories that he's meeting with Todd Ricketts and other funders this week. That was in The Observer earlier today. You do — he's doing the things that you do not do if you are determined the shoot down this rumor.
HAYES: That is true — although, let me say just this, Charlie: he's attending a secret donor meeting next week in Manhattan. They say he's very interested in preserving that Republican majority and expanding it — raising money for it. They released a whole memo to NBC News in response to all the speculation — Speaker Ryan not running: 'He's not, and won't. It's that simple.' Okay, but do you buy it?
CHARLES PIERCE, WRITER-AT-LARGE, ESQUIRE: May I refer to the honorable gentleman as 'dodgy Paul'?
HAYES: (Hayes and Walsh laugh) I'll allow it. I'll allow it—
PIERCE: Because — because I stopped, a long time ago, believing Paul Ryan, as far as I can throw the city of Janesville. I think he's as ambitious as Satan. I think he doesn't want to go out in the country where he was already deemed not worthy of the vice presidency, and try to run for president. But if they offer him the crown, he would loathe to lay his hands off it. So, yeah, I think he's running.
HAYES: Do you say he was as ambitious as Satan?
PIERCE: Yes.
HAYES: That's very ambitious. I don't know if he's that ambitious. (Walsh laughs)
