Something is wrong with “Speaker” Mike Johnson
As the saying goes, “denial” is not just a river in Egypt. Mike Johnson claims that there is a “clear distinction” between the protestors in LA and the January 6 insurrectionists. There certainly is, but it’s not what Johnson thinks; he is clearly in denial. CNN’s Manu Raju asked Johnson whether it is hypocritical for Trump to condemn the protesters shortly after he pardoned or commuted the sentences of the insurrectionists from January 6.
For the most part, the LA protests began and have remained peaceful. As always happens, some troublemakers have joined in and began throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails, cement blocks, and anything else within reach at law enforcement. These are not the people who initially began the protest, but if they had been, how are they different from rioters who assaulted police with their own gear and used sprays to disable them?
Trump and allies like Johnson have referred to the protests as a “rebellion” or an “insurrection.” Yet, they wouldn’t say the same about the embarrassment that took place on January 6 at the Capitol. In fact, Trump’s pardons and commutations send the message that what those criminals did was acceptable. While Trump refused to deploy the National Guard on January 6, he has overstepped his boundaries by deploying the national guard and mobilizing Marines in L.A. In response to Raju’s question, Johnson had this to say: “Look, no, I think there’s a clear distinction between those two. We’ve seen what happened in L.A. in the early 90s and other times, when these things get out of control … you have to stay on top of that and you cannot let it get out of control.” Let’s make sure we understand what Johnson is saying. January 6 didn’t “get out of control,” even though several officers were injured and five died. No police or ICE agents have been harmed or killed, yet the LA protest is “out of control.”
Newsweek opined that Johnson is referring to the riots that broke out after the acquittal of four officers who beat Rodney King mercilessly. That riot led to 63 deaths and property damages near $500 million. Conversely, no one has died in L.A., and only very minor damage to property has been reported. Yet, Johnson has the nerve to say that the government “needs to be consistent,” which they are certainly not doing. In fact, another reporter approached Senate Majority Leader John Thune for his interpretation of the difference, and he avoided the question entirely. Republicans need to own up to the fact that what’s happening in L.A. is no worse than what happened at the Capitol on January 6 with the exception being deaths on January 6. Yet, those people are now running around free thanks to Donald Trump.
In the meantime, Trump continues to spew lies about the protests, calling the people “paid troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists.” When a reporter read Trump’s Fort Bragg statement to Mayor Karen Bass, she was aghast at the exaggerations. This is merely another example of Trump wielding power to which he has no right. That is the signature piece of his “presidency,” and it will continue until someone can stop him.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years