Republican Ron Johnson accuses US government of performing 'intelligence operations' against him

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Friday evening went on Fox News and accused the United States of running "intelligence operations" against him.'

Johnson was interviewed by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

"You know, Tucker, I've had intelligence operations performed against me — false intelligence operations created, classified, and then leaked. This is beyond outrageous," Johnson said.

Johnson was reportedly warned he was the target of an intelligence operation, but one that was conducted by the Russian government.

"U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson confirmed this week that the FBI warned him in August he was the target of Russian disinformation U.S. intelligence officials believe the foreign adversary was using to promote its interests in the lead-up to the November presidential election," the Wisconsin State Journalreported in May. "But Johnson, who confirmed to The Washington Post this week he received such a warning, said he disregarded it due to a lack of evidence provided by intelligence officials."

"His confirmation of receiving such a warning isn't the first time Johnson, R-Oshkosh, has been swept up in news about Russian disinformation campaigns. In 2019, The Washington Post reported Johnson met with a former Ukrainian diplomat, Andriy Telizhenko, that summer to discuss unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine aided Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for the presidency," the newspaper noted.

And in 2018, Johnson said Russian election interference had been blown "way out of proportion," after he returned from visiting Russia on the Fourth of July.