Defiant Trump brushes off GOP critics on eve of Ryan meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump brushed off his Capitol Hill critics Wednesday, declaring he doesn't need House Speaker Paul Ryan or other leery Republican leaders, even as he prepared to sit down with them.

Trump's allies and advisers echoed his contention that he can claim the White House with or without leading congressional Republicans, who continue to express reservations about his tone and inconsistent policy prescriptions.

Should Trump not release his returns before the November election it would mark a break from precedent for presidential nominees.

[...] more Republican voters appear to be moving behind Trump, despite big-name holdouts such as Ryan, both former president Bushes and the party's 2012 nominee Mitt Romney.

Ryan insisted Wednesday that Republican Party unity is paramount, even if he's not yet willing to endorse the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee.

The political novice plans to rely heavily on the committee's expansive political operation to supplement his bare-bones campaign, which has so far ignored seemingly vital functions such as voter data collection, swing-state staffing and fundraising infrastructure.

Absent a viable Republican alternative, there were new signs on Capitol Hill that Trump's conservative critics were beginning to fall in line.