Conservative Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Who faces a tough re-election race this year, is embroiled in new controversy after a House of Representatives committee revealed on Tuesday (January 6th) that his staff had tried to handed over a list of fake voters to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Johnson faces tough questions about how much he knew about his staff’s efforts to get Pence to recognize an alternative set of voters for Michigan and Wisconsin, two critical states that helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election.
Johnson on Wednesday declined to say whether he had authorized his aide, Sean Riley, to hand over voters to Pence on January 6, 2021, or whether he knew in advance what his aide was planning to do. He also declined to say whether he knew the contents of the envelope to be given to Pence’s staff.
“It happened so fast, it was 18 months ago. It just happened, we took care of it. End of story. There is nothing else to say about it, “he said when asked what he knew about the deal.
“There is nothing else to say about it,” he said, blaming reporters who asked him for more details on “carrying water for the Democratic Party.”
Johnson’s spokeswoman Alexa Henning issued a statement Tuesday saying Johnson “had no notice” that the fake voter list would be delivered to his office and generally minimized his involvement in the deal.
“The senator did not participate in the creation of an alternative voter list and did not know that it would be delivered to our office. It was a staff exchange. His new chief of staff contacted the vice president’s office, “Henning tweeted.
But Johnson told reporters Tuesday afternoon: “Basically, I didn’t know about it.”
“My chief of staff contacted the vice president’s staff and said, ‘Do you want this?’ They said no, and we didn’t deliver it, and that’s the end of the story,” he said.
Johnson said “someone delivered” the envelope to his office and asked his staff to deliver it to the vice president. The senator declined to say who had encroached on his office.
Asked Tuesday afternoon if he supported efforts to send Pence’s voter list, Johnson said: “I didn’t know that.”
“I had no idea it would even be delivered to us. Deliver staff to staff. The chief of staff did the right thing for me, contacting the vice president’s staff. They said they didn’t want it, so we didn’t deliver it, “he said.
But even fellow Republicans find it hard to believe that Johnson’s aide will be brave enough to give Pence a fake voter list in an attempt to stop Biden’s victory without warning his boss.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Wednesday he wanted to know more about who was involved in Pence’s efforts to oust duly elected voters for Michigan and Wisconsin.
“My initial reaction was shock. Senator Johnson then said he was unaware of it. I and others like me would like to dig deeper into this, to find out who knows what and when. “Obviously, an attempt at a fake ballot would hit the heart of our democracy,” he said.
A panel of the House of Representatives investigating last year’s attack on the Capitol on Tuesday released a series of texts showing Riley’s attempts to set up the show between the senator and vice president.
“Johnson needs to pass something on to VPOTUS, please advise him,” Johnson’s aide sent to Pence’s aide, Chris Hodgson, shortly before Congress convened a joint session to verify the election results.
When Hodgson asked what it was, Riley sent a message: “An alternative voter list for MI and WI because the archivist didn’t get it.”
“Don’t give him that,” Hodgson said shortly.
The revelation outraged Johnson’s fellow Democrats, who say his staff may have broken the law by trying to present Pence’s fake set of voters.
“It’s awful if that happens,” said Sen. Jeff Merklee (D-Ore). “I hope the details are fully explored by the press in a way that catches the eye and understands how important it is when you start trying to replace voters with what a state has certified and presented.”
Senator Debbie Stabenov (D-Mich.), Whose staff of duly elected voters may have been ousted if Pence accepted and unfolded the contents of the envelope, said trying to overturn legitimate election results would be against the law.
“First of all, it is appalling that they actually had a separate group of voters and they thought that was right. I don’t know what happened to Senator Johnson, but he certainly promoted the Big Lie, Stabenov said.
Asked whether an investigation by the ethics committee was justified, Stabenov said: “It is very serious. We will leave it to the ethics committee. ”
But she added that “this is serious if he has recognized any of this as legitimate anyway.”
“Fake voters would literally be an effort to overthrow the government,” she added.
Johnson said Democrats were already attacking him for trying to surrender.
Wisconsin Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is running in the Democratic primary in the Senate to challenge Johnson in November, has accused the Republican senator of trying to undermine democracy.
“He literally tried to hand over fake ballots to Mike Pence. Ron Johnson has once again proved that he is a danger to our country and our fundamental rights. I urge him to resign immediately, “Barnes said.
Philip Schulman, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said that instead of focusing on what is best for the people of Wisconsin, “Johnson’s focus in Washington is working to undermine democracy.
A Marquette Law School poll of 803 registered voters in Wisconsin, released Wednesday, found Barnes leading Johnson 46 percent to 44 percent in a hypothetical match.
The same poll showed that Johnson was two points behind Democratic candidate Sarah Godlewski and three points ahead of Democratic candidate Alex Lasry.
But Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin-based Republican strategist, predicts that the impact of the commission’s January 6 revelation will have little effect on the outcome of the Senate race.
“Not many people are interested,” he told news of the commission’s January 6th hearing. “It’s really like a DC show. Whether or not this has any force among the voters here, I would say no today. ”
The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s call for gas tax lands with deafening Uwalde, Buffalo highlights problem with gun violence against people of color
Scholz said there was “so much content” in the commission’s January 6 investigation that “it bounces off people.”
He acknowledged that Democrat voters would be outraged by the revelation, “but they will not vote for Ron Johnson anyway.”
And he said: “I don’t think Republicans will take that as something that will make them vote against Johnson.
Add Comment