Acknowledging that every individual present is engaged in criminal activity.
Speaking to a room full of conservative donors earlier this year, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson made clear that the only thing keeping corrupt Republicans out of jail was the fact that he personally “run[s] the protection program” in Washington.
“I’ll take care of you,” Johnson promised his financiers. So much for subtlety.
Under the new values-free party, any candidate meets their non-existent standard for office, so long as they say they are a Republican. Holding power is all that matters, even if Republicans themselves have admitted for nearly a year now that they are unwilling and unable to use that power in ways that improve the lives of regular Americans.
‘I run the protection program’: Mike Johnson warns roomful of conservatives to reelect Republicans or face prison
The Republican speaker of the House warns a roomful of conservatives what would happen to them and Trump if Democrats win back the House of Representatives
House Speaker Mike Johnson told a hotel conference roomful of Christian conservatives that he was the only thing stopping Democrats from investigating not just President Donald Trump, but all of his allies and family members — and many of them, too.
Johnson spoke on Friday to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual summit, a gathering of religious conservatives, where Trump also spoke later in the day. Most polling shows Democrats have a good chance of winning back the House of Representatives, but Johnson warned of the consequences for such a Republican defeat.
He warned that while Trump will not be on the ballot again, his future might be, along with their own.
“Y’all, impeachment’s not even the big concern,” the House speaker said. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the cabinet, his donors and friends.
“Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. I’ll take care of you.”
Republicans hold only 218 seats in the House of Representatives compared to Democrats’ 212 thanks to handful of resignations and deaths.
Johnson Trump and Republicans have taken extraordinary measures to try and prevent Democrats from winning back the House. Last year, Texas Republicans convened a special session at Trump’s behest to redraw the state’s congressional maps to create five new Republican-leaning districts. Republicans made similar efforts in Missouri, though efforts to redraw congressional maps in Indiana failed.
Democrats responded in kind. Last year, California passed a ballot initiative to allow for the creation of five Democratic-leaning districts. Virginia attempted a similar measure, but the state’s supreme court ultimately killed the the effort.