Mary Trump is convinced newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson is compromised by Russia.
"Despite the fact that Mike Johnson now holds a place of enormous power in the American government, he remains an elusive character whose perverted notions of American democracy and religious fanaticism still aren’t completely understood," she states on her Substack "The Good In Us."
She cites a Newsweek piece that breaks down Mother Russia's infiltration of U.S. politics by funneling money into a slate of MAGA-entrenched Congressmen.
It specifically looks at Texas-based American Ethane company which is on record for doling out "tens of thousands of dollars" to Louisiana Republican campaigns, including the new House Speaker whom she dubs: Mike “America is not a democracy, it’s a biblical republic” Johnson.
American Ethane, according to the story, in 2018 was fronted by an American named John Houghtaling. But 88% of the firm was "owned by three Russian nationals" — Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev.
She noted that Johnson collected at least three checks, for $6,100 apiece, from American Ethane.
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Donald Trump's niece writes that at least one of the three owners, Nikolaev, had "deep ties to Putin" and "even funded" Russian national Maria Butina, who after serving a 15-month stint in prison for acting as a Russian foreign agent, was deported back to Russia.
The company was subject to a minute $9,500 in civil penalties for donating to GOP candidates. The small amount was condemned by two FEC commissioners, Shana M. Broussard and Ellen L. Weintraub, according to Newsweek.
It appears Johnson’s campaign noted that the money was returned once "the situation first came out."
Mary notes that it was only returned after going public, and that raises concerns about Johnson's patriotism.
"But would Johnson have kept the money if his accepting the contribution hadn’t been exposed in the first place," she asks.
She wonders what happens when the potentially Russian-tainted Johnson is supposed to make "one of the largest foreign policy decisions of the last decade: Will the United States continue funding Ukraine's efforts against the illegal Russian invasion of their country?"
She questioned his dedication to protecting Ukraine and cited his voting record from 2022 that appeared to go against Ukraine's best interest to defend their country against "Putin's Russia."
"Once again, we’re left wondering about a possible web of influence that raises unsettling questions about the allegiance of key figures within the center of our country’s government and many of the Republicans who are running it," she writes. "One thing is certain: Our eyes are open. And we’re watching."
