House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election, sources say

(CBS) — CBS News confirms that after months of rumors speculating his political future, House Speaker Paul Ryan is set to announce that he will not be seeking re-election in 2018, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Ryan joins the growing list of Republican House members also resigning from Congress. More than 30 Republicans in the House and Senate have announced that they plan to leave Congress by the beginning of 2019.

Many speculated that Ryan would depart political office after helping successfully champion a rewrite of the U.S. tax code. Ryan’s office, however, had denied the speculation that he was leaving anytime soon. Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong told CBS News last month, “The speaker is not resigning.”

The speaker previously told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in January that he would discuss running for reelection with his family before making a decision on the matter.

“Look, if we’re doing fine I have no plans of going anywhere any time soon,” Ryan said. “But that’s something that my wife and I always decide in late spring of the election year.”

In December of last year, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump had called Ryan and the president made it clear he wouldn’t be happy if Ryan quit Congress.

“The Speaker assured the president that those were not accurate reports and that they look forward to working together for a long time to come,” Sanders said.

This is a developing story.