House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) shot down retirement rumors in a brief interview Wednesday with The Washington Post. “Absolutely not true,” Boehner said, when asked whether his recent condo purchase in Florida signals his looming departure from Congress.

Before answering, Boehner, who was first elected in 1990, chuckled about the retirement question, which has buzzing around Capitol Hill for months. “Ha, ha, ha,” he said, as reporters surrounded him during a rare appearance in the Speaker’s lobby near the House floor.