A top emissary for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has asked to meet privately with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) this week in advance of Trump’s visit to Washington on Thursday, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who has become one of Trump’s most trusted allies, reached out Monday to Ryan’s political advisers to request a private session with the speaker, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The outreach by Carson is an apparent effort both to soothe tensions between Trump and Ryan ahead of their highly anticipated meeting on Capitol Hill and to establish a framework for that discussion.
When reached Monday by phone, Carson’s business manager, Armstrong Williams, said Carson “is a guy who can bring people together.”
“Donald Trump trusts him and the speaker trusts him,” Williams said. “He wants to do the will of the people.”
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