MSNBC's Joe Scarborough unloaded on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a wide-ranging broadside.
The Louisiana Republican told a worried military spouse on television that Democrats were to blame for the government shutdown threatening paychecks for service members, but the "Morning Joe" host said Johnson was personally to blame for that looming lapse.
"A guy who says that he's going to rule bythe Bible, it's reallysurprising," Scarborough said. "He lies soeffortlessly, he really does.But that poor caller, who's a Republican, who is only askingthat our men and women inuniform get paid and that theirchildren be able to get healthcare during the governmentshutdown while the speaker isgetting paid. He says it's allthe Democrats' fault, when heleaves two things out. One, the Democrats actually, as he was,he was fact checked in realtime, Democrats have a plan tomake sure the military is paid,to make sure that that womangets the help and the support,and those children get the helpand support that they need, and Republicans are blocking it."
"Don't believe me?" he added. "Ask [Rep.] Elise Stefanik, who is also putting abill on the floor to stop Mike Johnson from blocking paymentsto the military – Elise is a Republican – to stop the Republican Senate from blockingpayments to the military, sothat woman and her family andher children can be taken careof. So our men and women inuniform, who may be Republicans,who see a Republican House, a Republican Senate, a Republican White House, a Republican-dominated Supreme Court, seesthem blocking the way."
Scarborough said the speaker could act immediately to make sure military service members don't miss a single paycheck, but he's instead using the lapse as leverage to force Democratic concessions in the funding bill.
"This isvery simple: Mike Johnson canpick up the phone right now, call Elise Stefanik, 'Elise,we're going to vote, I'm goingto call everybody back in andwe're going to vote on youryour bill today,' and it wouldpass," Scarborough said, 'and then Chuck Schumerand the Democrats would makesure it would pass on the Senate side, and then it wouldbe up to Donald Trump onwhether he wanted to pass it orwhether he wanted to vetofunding for our men and womenin uniform and their dependentsand their children who aresuffering right now."
"Again, Ithink what shocks me so much is Mike Johnson saying, you know, Mike Johnson this whole timehas just not been tellingpeople the truth," he added.
Scarborough pointed out that Johnson is afraid to call Congress back into session because he's trying to avoid swearing in Adelita Grijalva, who would become the 218th and final signature needed on a discharge petition forcing a House vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
"Think aboutthis, it's amazing really, thisis what Republicans aredefending right now," Scarborough said. "Mike Johnson shut down Congress andsent his members home becausehe didn't want them talkingabout the Epstein files. Mike Johnson will not swear in a Democrat, democraticallyelected congresswoman, becausethat will be the deciding voteon a discharge petition to havethe Epstein files released. Hewon't do it, he won't let herget sworn in, and now he'sclaiming he can't do anythingto have the military be paid."
"He can," Scarborough added. "He can call Elise Stefanik today, and then he cancall his friends over in the Senate saying, 'Hey, I'm goingto call my members back in, we're going to make sure thatour men and women in uniformthat are sacrificing so muchget paid,' because members of Congress sure as hell aregetting paid right now. They'regetting health care right now.They're getting taken care ofright now, but our troopsaren't and the families of ourtroops aren't, and the childrenof our troops aren't. That'sbecause Mike Johnson standingin the way."