A recording of House Speaker Paul Ryan's October rebuke of Donald Trump was published on Monday night

The audio captures Ryan at one of the most challenging times for the Republican Party during the 2016 presidential campaign — three days after leaked footage from 2005 showed then-candidate Trump boasting of displaying sexually aggressive behavior toward women.

In the October recording of Ryan on Monday, the House speaker is heard saying, "I am not going to defend Donald Trump — not now, not in the future."

Business Insider , but this is the first time audio of the House speaker's words were made public. It is unclear why the audio was posted Monday, at a time when the House speaker and President Trump are busy touting . The GOP's law known as the American Health Care Act is up against some hefty opposition among Republicans and Democrats.

Breitbart said it was unclear exactly how many House Republicans participated in the October call with Ryan, who made the recording, or whether those who were involved knew it was being recorded.

Ryan at the time appeared resigned to the possibility that Hillary Clinton might win the election as the fallout from the Access Hollywood tape spread far and wide. At one point, Ryan said he would spend his "entire energy" making sure a potential President Hillary Clinton would not get a "blank check" with congressional majorities.

Trump called out Ryan shortly after his comments went public in October:

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