House Speaker Mike Johnson describes himself as a Christian before anything else. He has said his “faith informs everything I do.” He has told people curious about his views to “pick up a Bible.” His wife reportedly runs a counseling service whose operating agreement, which he himself notarized, states, “We believe and the Bible teaches that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery…is sinful and offensive to God.” He has said he and his son use a software program called Covenant Eyes to ensure neither is looking at porn.
Given all this, you may think that Johnson would not be comfortable showing up to a criminal trial to defend a guy who allegedly had an affair with an adult film star (according to the adult film star anyway, though Trump denies it), paid her to stay quiet about the alleged affair, and then was accused of covering up said payment. But you would think wrong!
On Tuesday, Johnson attended Donald Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan, where—prior to the proceedings getting underway—the congressional leader nodded approvingly at Trump from behind a metal barrier, like a groupie at his favorite band’s concert:
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Later, Johnson told reporters, “President Trump is a friend, and I wanted to be here to support him. I’m here speaking with you outside because the court won’t allow us to speak inside the building. That’s just one of the many things that are wrong here. This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial. They are doing this intentionally to keep him here and keep him off of the campaign trail, and I think everyone in the country can see that for what it is. I’m an attorney, I’m a former litigator myself. I am disgusted by what is happening here, what is being done here to our entire system of justice overall.”
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As The New York Times has noted, before he was House Speaker, Johnson wrote in a 2015 Facebook post that Trump “lacks the character and the moral center we desperately need again in the White House.” Since then, he has of course become a loyal footstool to Trump by, among other things, helping him attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, former GOP representative Liz Cheney ripped Johnson for his blatant hypocrisy, writing on X, “Have to admit I’m surprised that Speaker Johnson wants to be in the ‘I cheated on my wife with a porn star’ club. I guess he’s not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all.”
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