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All posts tagged "mike johnson"

'Lie. I was there': White House correspondent fact-checks Mike Johnson's Jan. 6 claim

House Speaker Mike Johnson described January 6 insurrectionists as "people who were just there and happened to be walking through the building" — and a White House correspondent who was present that day had a blunt response.

"LIE," wrote Brian J. Karem, the veteran journalist and former Playboy White House correspondent. "I was there. They were walking through the building, destroying property, spreading feces on the walls, stealing things, rioting and threatening to kill the Vice President. But other than that . . ."

Johnson's remarks surfaced through The Intellectualist, which flagged the clip and noted the claim had already been fact-checked as false.

It was not the first time Johnson has minimized the events of January 6. The Speaker has repeatedly downplayed the violence of that day as Trump has worked to reframe the insurrection as a peaceful protest and pardoned the participants.

Karem was among the journalists working in and around the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election. More than 1,200 people have been charged in connection with the attack. Before Trump's pardons, hundreds had been convicted.

'My god': Mike Johnson ridiculed mercilessly after new 'embarrassing' omission

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is being forced to eat his own words after he praised Trump in a social media post as the "ONLY" person who could get Iran to the negotiating table.

"President Trump is the ONLY one who could have gotten Iran — the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism — to the negotiating table," Johnson wrote on X. "We are greatly encouraged to learn a PEACE DEAL in Iran is underway — and look forward to learning more about the specifics."

"This is embarrassing," responded the political outlet Meidas Touch, as other accounts poured on corrections.

"Obama did this and actually got them to stop enriching uranium past 3.67 percent," wrote influencer Brian Krassenstein. "With inspectors on the ground and cameras on the centrifuges. Trump tore that up."

"I had to double check this wasn't a parody account," the Republicans against Trump mocked. "My God."

"Obama literally negotiated with Iran," wrote political journalist Sam Stein. "Whether you liked the outcome or not, it happened."

'Unconscionable': Fed-up lawmaker blasts Mike Johnson for yanking vote to rein in Trump

WASHINGTON — Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) told reporters on Thursday that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pulled a scheduled war powers resolution vote, saying that it was clear that Democrats had enough votes to compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran war.

"They just pulled it, unconscionably. It is beyond time that we address this issue," Scholten said. "Gas prices are $5. I'm getting $5 a gallon in Michigan. People on the West Coast are hearing that and they're planning a road trip to Michigan to put it in Tupperware and take it back home with them. I'm getting calls in my office about people cancelling their Memorial Day plans because they literally cannot afford to drive to their cottages in Michigan and celebrate this weekend how they normally would."

She described how the economy and skyrocketing gas prices has caused frustration among Americans.

"It's obviously about a failed plan, not the whims of a president who decides he's bored one day and wants to continue this war," Scholten said. "The power and the decision, whether we go forward with this, belongs in the hands of the people and that's why Congress needs the power to decide."

Scholten said that she has questions about what's happening among leadership behind-the-scenes.

"We do hope that Mike Johnson will answer it and not deflect as he often does, saying 'I don't know anything about that.' It's his decision. We had the votes for it today and I'm not one to speculate, but I do believe that's why he probably pulled it because I think we could have got it done today. And that's unfortunate. It's a disservice to the American people."

Mike Johnson admits Ethics Committee 'very busy right now' as misconduct piles up

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) revealed on Friday that the House Ethics Committee has a backlog of misconduct allegations under investigation, according to Axios.

The wave of misconduct claims has put additional pressure on lawmakers to make sure they can hold members accountable, but several leaders are arguing they need additional resources to keep up with the growing backlog.

"He has had a great challenge, the chairman of Ethics Committee, that committee is very busy right now," Johnson, speaking of Chair Michael Guest (R-MS), told Axios.

Last month, Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Eric Swalwell resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing and suspended his campaign for California governor. Gonzales confirmed he had an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide, ending his re-election bid.

Two other lawmakers, Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) and Cory Mills (R-FL) were also under investigation by the committee over allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Both Republican congressional leaders have denied any wrongdoing.

Guest has told Axios that he wants to have conversations with Republican and Democratic leaders about how the committee needs more resources to "move matters more quickly," including moving the Office of Congressional Conduct under the House Ethics.

"We'll dedicate whatever resources are necessary to ensure the House Ethics Committee does its job as it should," Johnson said. "There's lots of allegations flying around, so we'll make sure that they have everything they need to get the job done."

Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Wednesday announced a bipartisan "partnership" to change how Congress tackles misconduct probes, Axios reported.

Reps. Kat Cammack (R-FL) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) were selected to lead that effort, which they hope to complete before midterms.

"We all are in agreement, Ethics moves too slow, and I would agree that Chairman Guest has the right idea that they are under-resourced, and that limits their ability to move quickly with these investigations," Cammack told Axios.

'Give him a nice burial': James Carville drops bold prediction for GOP leader

Democratic political strategist James Carville sounded reluctantly sympathetic as he declared that one of the GOP's top leaders is "dead" and losing power.

Carville was reacting to a clip of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defending Trump's shocking "I don't think about Americans' financial situations" comment from earlier in the week.

"I don't much care for Mike Johnson. We're both from the same state, different parts. Our politics are really different," Carville said in the latest episode of The Jim Acosta Show, before confessing that, "At some point, I feel sorry for the guy."

Carville predicted that Johnson would lose his speakership following a Democratic takeover in November's midterms.

"He's trying to just cobble together something and just keep himself from being humiliated in public, and he's not going to be able to stop it," Carville went on. "He's kind of a tragic figure in all of this. I really believe that."

Although Carville has "attacked him numerous times before," he felt bad about going after a weakened and embarrassed Johnson this time.

"I don't think it's what he would say is the Christian thing to do here," Carville added. "I think we should give him a nice burial 'cause he's dead."

'People all over America are devastated': MAGA rep mocked for floating herself for top job

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) was mocked on Saturday for suggesting that 'so many people' had floated her name for Speaker of the House — and replace House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The MAGA lawmaker posted on X that she was "honored" to be considered, though the internet quickly questioned why she made the comment.

"Truly, it is wonderful and I am flattered to have that type of support and trust," Luna wrote. "However, I do not know where the rumor started that I was considering a run, as I have never spoken to any member about it or considered even running for Speaker. For now, I feel that I am right where I need to be. At any rate, I love and appreciate all of you and will continue to fight for all of you in DC. @SpeakerJohnson, hopefully your cortisol levels didn’t spike too high."

Media experts and political commentators were quick to sound off on her remarks.

"People all over America are devastated," Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch with one million followers, wrote on X.

"The people of America are laughing their a---- off," journalist Stephen Rhymer wrote on X.

"She really wanted you to read this and think she’s more important than she really is. This had nothing to do w/ dispelling rumors and everything to do w/ letting people know she has an interest in leadership," user Mason, an Iraq veteran and political commentator, wrote on X.

Republicans upset by gerrymandering have their own words hurled back at them

Republicans have been doing 180s to defend their position on redistricting, undermining their insistence that they're guided by moral arguments, according to a new report.

The Bulwark highlighted a series of "pirouettes" by GOP leaders by comparing their statements on gerrymandering in Texas last year to what they said on the issue in the wake of Virginia voters paving the way for more Democratic seats.

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson was in support of partisan redistricting in Texas last year, the Bulwark noted.

“Look, we have to fight for every inch of ground in the country,” Johnson said at the time. “I’m convinced the red states will, and we will probably have a few more seats out of that. And of course, that’s good news for me.”

The Virginia vote that favored the other side, however, was "a hyperpartisan gerrymandering boondoggle,” Johnson said to reporters.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said in August that “frankly, we could probably be even more aggressive" about gerrymandering and taking seats for his party, and last week, he told Fox News that the move was "a reasonable thing for Texas to do."

In the same interview, however, he equated Virginia's move to "a million Karens in Arlington and Alexandria represent two-thirds of the commonwealth."

The double speak mirrors Trump, who said that Republicans were "entitled to five more seats" in Texas last year because he "won Texas" in his presidential bid.

When Virginia voters shot back, Trump called it a "travesty of 'Justice'" in a Truth Social post and asked the courts to step in because "the language on the Referendum was purposefully unintelligible and deceptive."

Mike Johnson faces 'absolutely brutal week' that will determine remainder of year: report

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is poised to have an "absolutely brutal week” as a confluence of challenges is all set to fall into his lap within a matter of days, challenges that present the House GOP leader with risks of losing support and are likely to “set the tone for the rest of the legislative year,” Punchbowl News reported on Monday.

On Thursday, a law that permits national intelligence agencies to surveil Americans in some instances – one President Donald Trump has pushed Congress to extend – is set to expire, and Johnson has yet to secure adequate support for a measure to extend it. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains unfunded, and a temporary measure funding DHS employees expires on Thursday.

Johnson has also promised to advance the Senate’s budget resolution ahead of funding DHS, a resolution that Republicans are looking to advance using reconciliation, a process by which a proposed budget is crafted to be budget neutral, and therefore, would only require a simple majority to move forward. Punchbowl News reported that a vote for the resolution is "envisioned for Wednesday.”

And, with a slim GOP majority in the House, Johnson is expected to face a fierce uphill battle, one that may force him to compromise with House Democrats, particularly with extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the aforementioned mass surveillance law.

“Johnson will likely need House Democrats one way or another here,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “There’s not enough Democratic support for passing FISA under suspension, so Johnson may turn to pro-FISA Democrats to pass a rule. Republicans could need to make concessions to get those Democratic votes. The FISA bill is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday on the floor.”

Regarding the Senate’s budget resolution, Johnson is expected to release his plans on how he’ll advocate for the spending package using reconciliation, a process that Punchbowl News described as risky.

“Johnson will release this week a number of policies he’ll try to notch in Reconciliation 3.0,” Punchbowl News reported. “There’s a risk to this approach because Reconciliation 3.0 is far from a sure thing, and it could cost Johnson votes from moderates and conservatives alike.”

GOP lawmakers blast Mike Johnson over new 'delay game' because he doesn't 'have the votes'

GOP lawmakers have slammed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for delaying a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

The prolonged closure has left employees at the Transportation Security Administration and other DHS agencies without regular pay, creating significant operational challenges across the department. The core dispute centers on funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operations.

Senate Democrats have signaled firm opposition to Republican proposals that would provide unrestricted resources to these agencies without substantive immigration reform provisions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that a House Republican continuing resolution aimed at ending the shutdown would be "dead on arrival" in the chamber.

Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune eventually agreed to pass a bipartisan Senate funding bill that reopens the DHS agency without ICE or Border Patrol funding.

But Johnson is facing criticism from GOP figures for initially opposing a Senate plan to fund the DHS excluding ICE. A week after ridiculing the Senate funding plan, Johnson fell in line with President Donald Trump who endorsed the funding proposal.

An anonymous Republican Party member believes Johnson does not have the backing required to pass a bill that would include Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding. They told The Hill, "I don’t think Johnson has the votes. There continues to be a delay game.

"First it was Johnson said we want to see you pass the budget resolution. Now it sounds like, ‘We want to pass the whole reconciliation [package].' I don't think there's anything we can do."

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, added that this would likely be the final chance to address the funding issue.

Norman said, "This will probably be the last reconciliation we do before the end of the year. We got the break coming up, and it’s just we got to address — we got to put more to it than just this."

Senate Republicans voted yesterday (April 23) to allocate as much as $140 billion to ICE. The budget resolution was passed by a 50-48 vote. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has warned that payroll funding will be exhausted by early May if the shutdown continues.

Mike Johnson claims brutal election defeat in Virginia was a 'good sign' for GOP

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson is confident that Republicans can still add to their congressional majority in November despite failing to keep Virginia voters from approving a gerrymandered map on Tuesday that could hand Democrats four seats and a 10-1 majority in the state.

"The Republican Party is going to keep and grow this majority," Speaker Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday. "Last night was a good sign. Many of you thought that Republicans would not turn out for that ballot initiative vote, but they did in big numbers."

Earlier in the day, Johnson called on the Virginia Supreme Court to throw out the voter-approved redistricting map, calling it a "boondoggle." Moments later, Virginia official announced that a Virginia circuit court blocked the voter-approved gerrymandering, less than a day after it passed.

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