Tag: Ron Johnson

Amy Klobuchar shuts down a GOP senator spreading a ‘conspiracy theory’ at the Capitol riot hearing

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On Tuesday, members of the U.S. Senate held a hearing on the Jan. 6 insurrection — and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin promoted a debunked conspiracy theory claiming that the insurrectionists were really left-wing militants. But Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a centrist Democrat, pushed back against that false claim.

According to far-right conspiracy theorists, members of Antifa attacked the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6 in order to make supporters of then-President Donald Trump look bad. But there is no evidence to support that claim, and the participation of QAnon, the Proud Boys, White nationalists, various militia groups and others on the far right has been well-documented. Axios’ Jonathan Swan, on Jan. 12, reported that when Trump floated that conspiracy theory, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pushed back and told him, “It’s not Antifa, it’s MAGA. I know. I was there.”

But Johnson, on Tuesday, promoted false claims that on Jan. 6, the U.S. Capitol Building was attacked by “provocateurs” and “fake Trump protesters.” And when Klobuchar spoke, she made it clear that she saw no validity in those claims. Continue reading.

A disaster for journalism raises disturbing doubts for the Republic

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On Sunday, NBC’s “Meet the Press” interviewed United States Senator Ron Johnson. ABC’s “This Week” interviewed House Minority Whip Steve Scalise. CBS’s “Face the Nation” interviewed United States Senator Lindsey Graham. “Fox News Sunday” interviewed United States Senator Rand Paul. They’re Republicans and they had a message for a combined television audience of millions: Donald Trump won.

Not in those exact words, but that was the clear implication. This thing or that thing—it didn’t really matter what thing—meant in their “view” that the former president was robbed and the legitimacy of the current president, Joe Biden, is somehow suspect.

I bring this up not because yesterday was a disaster for journalism and the integrity of the public square (though it was that). I bring this up because it seems to me an answer to the question that haunts democratic discourse: How does a republic deal with parties that lie so intensely, so voluminously and so shamelessly? Some say we should afford them the same respect we ourselves would expect. If we call them liars, that might encourage them to lie more given the outrage of being called liars. Better to check their facts, state the truth and move on in hopes that they behave in kind. Continue reading.

Sen. Ron Johnson plays down Capitol riots: ‘This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me’

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As a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol last month, rioters battered police with a multitude of weapons: metal flagpoles, baseball bats, wrenches and clubs. Many soaked police in caustic bear spray. One officer died in the Jan. 6 melee along with four civilians.

But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Monday argued that it’s wrong to describe the group as “armed” and accused Democrats of “selectively” editing videos to exaggerate the threat posed by a mob that came within feet of Vice President Mike Pence and other elected officials.

“This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me,” Johnson said on WISN. “When you hear the word ‘armed,’ don’t you think of firearms? Here’s the questions I would have liked to ask: How many firearms were confiscated? How many shots were fired?” Continue reading.

Ron Johnson hammered for calling for Capitol riot investigation of Pelosi as Trump impeachment trial winds down

With the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump winding down and an acquittal looking all but certain, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), one of the former president’s staunchest allies in the chamber, demanded there now be an investigation into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to try to blame her for lack of security preparations in the Capitol — even though it was Trump who resisted calling in the National Guard.

“The public deserves full transparency,” said Johnson in his demand for such an investigation.

Johnson’s remark triggered immediate outrage from commenters on social media, who slammed him for attempting to blame Pelosi for the very thing he will likely acquit Trump of. Continue reading.

‘The arrogance is breathtaking’: Milwaukee newspaper slams Ron Johnson for defying will of Wisconsin voters

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Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is among the Republican senators who, unlike Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has vowed to contest the Electoral College results when the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives meet for a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, January 6. Wisconsin was among the states that President-elect Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s editorial board slams Johnson for failing to respect the will of Wisconsin voters in a scathing editorial published on January 5.

“The arrogance of Ron Johnson is breathtaking,” the Journal Sentinel declares. “Johnson and 12 other Republican senators say they will challenge the tabulation of Electoral College votes in Congress on Wednesday in a dangerous political stunt that will accomplish nothing but may burnish their image with those who would choose outgoing President Donald Trump over democracy. Johnson and his shameful friends are planning to support Trump as he directly opposes the will of the people.”

The editorial board stresses that although Biden will remain president-elect regardless of the “stunt” from Johnson and other GOP senators, that doesn’t make it any less shameless. Continue reading.

‘You’ve Created the Controversy. You’re the Arsonist Here’: Chuck Todd Rips Trump Sycophant Senator

“How about the moon landing? Are you going to hold hearings on that?” the host snarked

Meet the Press host Chuck Todd pulled no punches during an interview with staunch Trump ally Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) on Sunday morning.

After an explainer of Johnson’s and other officeholders’ planned attempt to subvert democracyby opposing the certification of the Electoral College vote for President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, the host laid into the Trump sycophant for pretending to try to fix a problem that the president and lawmakers, like Johnson, duped supporters into believing in the first place.

“You made an allegation that there was widespread fraud. You have failed to offer specific evidence of that widespread fraud. But you’re demanding an investigation on the grounds that there are allegations of widespread fraud,” the host said. Continue reading.

Fired CISA chief Krebs to testify before Senate panel

Krebs is likely to receive a warm welcome from Senate Democrats and possibly even some Republicans who thought his firing was a mistake.

Former CISA Director Christopher Krebs will testify before a Senate panel on Wednesday, his first return to Capitol Hill since being fired last month by President Donald Trump.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced that Krebs, who was axed for refuting the president’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, would appear at a potentially controversial hearing where committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) plans to probe the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Witnesses called by Johnson, one of the president’s biggest congressional supporters, include former independent counsel Ken Starr and attorneys in key battleground states. Continue reading.

Ron Johnson gambles his political future on Trump

The Wisconsin Republican is holding a hearing on alleged election “irregularities” even after Biden secured an Electoral College victory.

Ron Johnson is embracing President Donald Trump as tightly as possible as he decides whether to run for reelection to a must-win Senate seat for Republicans.

Johnson, a steadfast Trump ally who has endeared himself to the president with his various investigative pursuits, is defending his approach, even as he faces a possible reelection campaign in a state that President-elect Joe Biden won in November. And Democrats are taking notice.

The Wisconsin Republican, who says he has not yet decided whether to seek a third term in 2022, has used his perch as the chairman of the Senate’s chief oversight body to investigate Trump’s political foes — from Hunter Biden to Hillary Clinton and the slew of Obama administration officials who launched the Russia probe — and is set to hold a hearing Wednesday on alleged “irregularities” in the election even as he recognizes Biden as the president-elect. Continue reading.

Ron Johnson to bring Ken Starr to testify at controversial hearing on 2020 elections

Sen. Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has invited former independent counsel Ken Starr and attorneys in key battleground states to testify at a controversial hearing next week where he plans to probe the 2020 election that President-elect Joe Biden won.

The hearing, which has prompted sharp criticism from senators in both parties over concerns that Johnson is peddling in debunked conspiracy theories, is moving ahead despite calls from Democrats that he scrap it.

But Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who has not yet said if he’ll run for reelection in 2022, says his hearing is geared at “trying to restore confidence in the system” and says it is he who is “trying to debunk” questions about “suspicious activities” that occurred in the elections. He also says the hearings will help him decide whether to join House Republicans to challenge the electoral results on the floor in January, as he’s met with one of those conservatives — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan — to help prepare for next week’s hearing. Continue reading.

Sen. Johnson Invites Quack To Testify On Vaccines, Dangerous Virus ‘Cure’

As the world readies for the release of a coronavirus vaccine, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) invited an anti-vaccine doctor to testify in a hearing that promotes the use of a coronavirus treatment the Federal Drug Administration not only deems ineffective but also dangerous.

Dr. Jane Orient is one of four witnesses set to testify Tuesday morning at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that Johnson leads. She told the New York Times that she’s skeptical of the forthcoming vaccine because, among other reasons, its “effect on fertility has not been determined” — a concern that is not based on any evidence.

Orient is testifying in the second part of a hearing called by Johnson titled “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution.” Orient told the Times she “intended to use her testimony to call for government guidelines informing doctors about hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19 patients.” Continue reading.