The Freedom Caucus killed Kevin McCarthy&#x27;s bid, even after it had been seen as a fait accompli, and made a list of demands for candidates for the speakership. Paul Ryan publicly rejected those demands, and was elected speaker without <i>any</i> of the process change demands that Freedom had said were requirements.<p>The idea that Ryan got the speakership through backroom deals is false. The House majority was in disarray following the sudden departure of Boehner and the failure of McCarthy&#x27;s bid; the political media at the time was discussing how long the House could run without a speaker and what kind of rift the debacle would create in the GOP. Ryan was more or less drafted into the position.