GOP lawmaker to ask Ryan to reconsider House chaplain’s dismissal

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) is planning to make a personal plea to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) this week to reconsider his controversial decision to dismiss the House chaplain.

Jones, a devout Catholic, told The Hill on Monday that he is currently drafting a letter that will call on Ryan to let Father Patrick Conroy stay on as chaplain.

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That effort, which Jones is aiming to send to the Speaker on Wednesday, will come in addition to a bipartisan letter demanding more answers from Ryan about the ouster.

“I’m still upset by the way that Father Conroy was treated,” Jones told The Hill. “It was very underhanded; I don’t think there was any justification.”

Ryan, who is also Catholic, told the GOP conference last week that he asked for Conroy’s resignation because some Republicans complained that their “pastoral needs” were not being met. Conroy’s last day will be May 24, according to his resignation letter.

Some Democrats had alleged that the ouster came because Conroy delivered a prayer that could be perceived as being critical of the Republican tax law.

“Father Conroy is a good man and I am grateful for his many years of service to the House,” Ryan said Monday at the Weekly Standard’s Midwest Conservative Summit in Milwaukee. “This is not about politics or prayers. It was about pastoral services. And a number of our members felt like the pastoral services were not being adequately served or offered.”

But Catholic members in both parties, who were infuriated to learn that Conroy’s sudden retirement was not voluntary, have not been satisfied with Ryan’s explanation for the move and are pressing for more information.

Jones also wants to send a personal note to Ryan urging the Speaker to change his mind and expressing disappointment with how the situation was handled.

The conservative lawmaker said he wishes Ryan had surveyed more House members to gauge their feelings toward Conroy and ask whether their spiritual needs were being satisfied.

“I’m going to ask him to reconsider his actions. Hopefully he’s gotten a lot of pressure from both parties,” Jones said. “I know members aren’t in Washington this week, but I think he’s bound to be hearing from a large number of members in both parties.”