House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., told Politico in an interview Thursday that he's still interested in "moving up" through the leadership.
On Monday, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., told a local news station that House Speaker Paul Ryan is preparing to resign in 30 to 60 days, and that Scalise is lined up to replace him.
Scalise, who's still recovering from a gunshot wound he sustained last year, said that he would like to lead the House at some point, but that it isn't time to discuss that now.
When asked about becoming speaker, Scalise told Politico: "I wouldn't rule it out. Obviously, I've shown interest in the past at moving up. I've enjoyed being in leadership. I feel like I've had a strong influence on some of the things that we've done, and I've helped put together coalitions to pass a full repeal of Obamacare."
But the congressman denied that Ryan has any intention of retiring, dismissing the "rumors" that have popped up in recent weeks.
"It's easy to get drawn into the palace intrigue and speculation. But if you do that, you truly will lose focus on what your mission is, and that is working with President Donald Trump to advance a conservative agenda," Scalise said.
"The stakes are way too high for us to lose sight of what we need to do right now."
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