# Kevin McCarthy: "Putin pays Trump" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 18, 2017, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899 "2017-05-18T04:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/1 "2017-05-18T04:51:11Z")
According to [this Washington Post article](http://wapo.st/2pXRFxO?tid=ss_mail&utm_term=.b947ccb20830) > [@](#): > > “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia. > > [snip] > > Some of the lawmakers laughed at McCarthy’s comment. Then McCarthy quickly added: “Swear to God.” > > Ryan instructed his Republican lieutenants to keep the conversation private, saying: “No leaks. . . . This is how we know we’re a real family here.” I thought I read earlier that Ryan denied the conversation ever happened, but I can’t find the cite. If so, he recanted fairly quickly, since as the quoted passage indicates, WaPo has a tape recording of the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/2 "2017-05-18T04:54:25Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > According to [this Washington Post article](http://wapo.st/2pXRFxO?tid=ss_mail&utm_term=.b947ccb20830) > > I thought I read earlier that Ryan denied the conversation ever happened, but I can’t find the cite. If so, he recanted fairly quickly, since as the quoted passage indicates, WaPo has a tape recording of the conversation. The reports I saw said congressional spokespersons, maybe Ryan or McCarthy, denied the conversation happened. When informed the conversation was on tape they quickly changed to “It was just a joke.” [Linky](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html) > [@](#): > > When initially asked to comment on the exchange, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Ryan, said: “That never happened,” and Matt Sparks, a spokesman for McCarthy, said: “The idea that McCarthy would assert this is absurd and false.” > > After being told that The Post would cite a recording of the exchange, Buck, speaking for the GOP House leadership, said: “This entire year-old exchange was clearly an attempt at humor. No one believed the majority leader was seriously asserting that Donald Trump or any of our members were being paid by the Russians. What’s more, the speaker and leadership team have repeatedly spoken out against Russia’s interference in our election, and the House continues to investigate that activity.” > > “This was a failed attempt at humor,” Sparks said. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/3 "2017-05-18T04:58:15Z")
Looks like the same article you linked just further down than you may have looked. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/4 "2017-05-18T05:01:42Z")
I should have read the entire article. My excuse is that it’s late, and I’m tired. And so to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/5 "2017-05-18T06:12:10Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I should have read the entire article. My excuse is that it’s late, and I’m tired. > > And so to bed. I too was guilty of Posting While Tired tonight. Had to laugh at your thread title, though. There’s a joke in there if I could just pull it out of my exhausted little brain…! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/6 "2017-05-18T11:29:11Z")
The tape apparently indicates that McCarthy and Ryan WERE laughing. Meaning “it was just a joke” is probably true. That would explain why nobody remembered it (do you remember every joke you’ve made over the past year?). That said, nobody should be surprised that many Republican insiders are mocking Trump behind his back. He DESERVES it. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/7 "2017-05-18T11:33:16Z")
It would have been a pointless joke if they thought there was nothing to it at all. A joke that Putin was paying Hillary Clinton or that Trump was being paid by the President of France wouldn’t have been funny. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/8 "2017-05-18T12:19:16Z")
Well, who knows. Let’s hear it first! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/9 "2017-05-18T12:28:03Z")
They were kidding on the square, like if you said about the office drunk “looks like Harry had another ‘church meeting’ last night” and everybody laughed. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/10 "2017-05-18T12:30:54Z")
The idea that Putin was paying Trump was OBVIOUSLY a joke. The idea that Trump loves and stupidly parrots Putin was not. McCarthy believes the latter, not the former. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/11 "2017-05-18T12:34:24Z")
Yes, it was definitely a joke…that Ryan immediately insisted needed to be kept secret to “protect the family”. Because that’s how jokes work. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/12 "2017-05-18T12:54:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yes, it was definitely a joke…that Ryan immediately insisted needed to be kept secret to “protect the family”. > > Because that’s how jokes work. Yup. My reading is that McCarthy was jokingly saying about Trump, “I am concerned about potential ties between Trump and Russia. He does not speak like a neutral party, or as though he has America’s interests at the forefront.” And Ryan is saying, “Please don’t express your concerns about ties between Trump and Russia in public; the last thing we need is for voters to realize that we’re worried about that.” Only they said it funnier than me :(. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/13 "2017-05-18T12:59:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yes, it was definitely a joke…that Ryan immediately insisted needed to be kept secret to “protect the family”. > > Because that’s how jokes work. To be fair, it’s not clear that that was a response to the joke or not-joke. I’m assuming it was to the whole conversation in general. I’d have to hear the whole thing in context to decide whether it sounds fishy or not, but I’m leaning on the “dumb joke” side for this. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/14 "2017-05-18T13:01:53Z")
The McCarthy line is arguably a joke. The correction to the laughter, “swear to God” is not. The Ryan request to keep it secret is not. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/15 "2017-05-18T13:10:03Z")
Looks like there is a transcript included in the article. It seems to me that it’s plausible all the comments are in jest, given the “laughter” everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/16 "2017-05-18T13:14:02Z")
In Soviet Russia, blackmailer pays you! This is one of those cases where a political gaffe means you accidentally told the truth. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/17 "2017-05-18T13:21:42Z")
The 900 pound gorilla has taken up residence, and nothing gets done until it leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/18 "2017-05-18T13:25:38Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > According to [this Washington Post article](http://wapo.st/2pXRFxO?tid=ss_mail&utm_term=.b947ccb20830) > > > [@](#): > > > > … > > > > Some of the lawmakers laughed at McCarthy’s comment. Then McCarthy quickly added: “Swear to God.” > > > > Ryan instructed his Republican lieutenants to keep the conversation private, saying: “No leaks. . . . This is how we know we’re a real family here.” That being said, I strongly advise Brother Leaker not to go on any fishing trips in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/19 "2017-05-18T13:27:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Looks like there is a transcript included in the article. It seems to me that it’s plausible all the comments are in jest, given the “laughter” everywhere. For that kind of “joke” to land, there would need to be some sort of Trump-Russia connection that the group was aware of, especially since it happened before all of the Russia stuff became so public. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899/20 "2017-05-18T13:28:17Z")
In the ADM price-fixing case involving Marc Whitacre, the executives were laughing while fixing prices. The laughter is irrelevant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-mccarthy-putin-pays-trump/786899.md?page=2)