Conservative critics attack Paul Ryan with references to his 'Muslim beard'

Not everyone is thrilled about Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan working with Democrats on a trillion-dollar package of spending and tax cuts. And, as The Hill points out, some critics have taken it pretty far, questioning if Ryan's facial hair isn't actually a clue to his motivations.

"Twitter is littered with references to the Wisconsin Republican's new 'Muslim beard,'" The Hill writes, and indeed:

Now The End Begins, a website that describes itself as being "unashamedly Conservative in our thinking" but not "anti-Arab," wrote that "Paul Ryan is 100 percent in line with Obama's liberal agenda, he is 100 percent against Donald Trump, and he has just authorized billions to be spent to bring more Muslim migrants into the United States. And, oh yeah, he suddenly has a full beard."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

However, one commenter using the name Raymond Andrews wasn't so sure about that logic, replying to the article by asking, "Do you think everyone with a beard is either a Jew or a Muslim? I graduated last December from Louisiana State University. One of the degrees I received was in Forestry. Every male in my Forestry major had a very full beard."