John Boehner Says He Hasnt Talked to Mitt Romney
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he plans to talk with Mitt Romney soon, now that the former Massachusetts governor is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” set to air Sunday, Boehner said that he tries to “avoid talking to all the candidates during the primaries.”
That’s changed since Romney appears to have sewn up the nomination, however.
“Now he’s the guy,” Boehner said. “He called and I called him back. We’ve kind of traded some — some voice-mails. But I expect that I will soon.”
Boehner took a similarly hands-off approach to the vice presidential pick, saying he would like Romney to pick “whoever he’s happy with.”
Pressed by host Candy Crowley, Boehner listed Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as people he believes are qualified for the post.
Still, he said there is a “long list of people” who could meet his criteria.
“I think the number one quality is, are they capable of being president in the case of an emergency,” he said.
Boehner also criticized President Barack Obama over a threat to veto a bill to keep student loan interest rates from rising because it takes funding from a preventive health care fund.
He noted that Obama has already raided the fund and signaled he might do so again.
“Why did his budget director and the president put in their budget reductions in spending in this program?” he said. “Why did the president sign into law the payroll tax cut, that included $4 billion worth of reductions in this same program?”
The full interview will air Sunday on CNN.