Politics

Ryan Withdraws Support of Wisc. Lawmaker over Rape Comment

Had related statements from father that some women change their minds about consensual sex and call it rape

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Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has dropped his endorsement of a Wisconsin lawmaker who said that his father had 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 hadn't.

Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson have not yet responded to inquiries about whether they are standing by their endorsements of freshman state Rep. Roger Rivard of Rice Lake.

It is the second time Ryan, a Janesville congressman, has withdrawn his support from a fellow Republican when they made comments about rape. In August, Ryan and other Republicans unsuccessfully urged U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri to drop out of his U.S. Senate race when he said women's bodies can "shut down" to prevent pregnancies in instances of "legitimate rape."