Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan dropped his endorsement of a Wisconsin state lawmaker who is under fire for controversial remarks he made about rape.
State Rep. Roger Rivard recently told a local newspaper that his father told him "some girls, they rape so easy," as a way to warn him that women could consent to sex but then later claim they had not.
Ryan's spokesman, Kevin Siefert, said in a statement that the vice presidential candidate believes "there is no place in our discourse for rhetoric such as this" and that Ryan cannot support Rivard "or his indefensible comments."
Ryan's withdrawal of support comes the same day that he will debate Joe Biden in the first and only vice presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky. The timing of Rivard's statement could be potentially awkward for Ryan, whose record on women's rights has come under scrutiny.
On Wednesday's PoliticsNation, host Al Sharpton pointed out that Ryan has cast 78 anti-choice votes since he's been in Congress, in addition to co-sponsoring 38 anti-choice measures. "This record could really hurt him," said Sharpton.
Huffington Post reporter Laura Bassett, who covers women's issues, agreed. "Paul Ryan will have some explaining to do," at the debate said Bassett.
