Speaker Mike Johnson had to dodge questions about the Hunter Biden trial in an interview that exposed his weaponization of government rhetoric.
Read: The Republican Presumptive Nominee for President is A Convicted Felon
CNBC CEO Council Summit transcript:
Javers: I want to ask you about some of today’s news. Last week we saw this historic conviction of former President Trump in New York. You call it a banana republic trial. I wonder, as we watch the Hunter Biden trial this week, is this also a Banana Republic trial?
JOHNSON: I haven’t been able to see any of that. we will see. I hope not. Look, I think what’s going on in Manhattan is a farce. I say this as a former litigator who spent 20 years in federal court handling high-profile cases. I don’t – I – what happened there was unprecedented. In my opinion, these charges are unlawful. Their targets are political opponents. They use the justice system to do this. The whole case was based on the testimony of a known perjurer, I mean, the whole thing. I tell you, no matter what I or any of us think about it, the American people are upset about it. As of Saturday, I had traveled and participated in political events in 118 cities and 29 states in the past six months. No matter where I go, East Coast, West Coast, Upstate New York, Deep South, it doesn’t matter, the sentiment is the same. People lose faith in our institutions because they see this. They see the politicization or weaponization of the justice system itself. As a constitutional lawyer and someone who believes in our institutions and works hard to protect the greatest nation in the history of the world, I am really concerned about this perception. If you don’t have equal justice under the law, or if people don’t believe that you have equal justice, you’ve lost a very important element that is necessary to maintain a system of government like ours, a constitutional republic. I think that’s the threat.
Video clip:
MIKE JOHNSON, HOST: You’ve called Trump’s trial a “banana republic trial.” Is Hunter Biden’s trial also a banana republic trial?
Mike Johnson: I hope not. pic.twitter.com/TpTTwt6dDV
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 4, 2024
Speaker Johnson had to duck the question because the prosecution of Hunter Biden was inconsistent with the Republican narrative that the president has weaponized government against his political opponents. If President Biden weaponizes government, that same government will not prosecute his son.
Reality exposes Speaker Johnson’s hypocrisy. It seems Republicans only think government prosecution is bad when Donald Trump is the one being prosecuted.
This stance and hypocrisy would border on stupidity if the consequences weren’t so severe.
Mike Johnson attacked the justice system after Trump’s verdict, but refused to respond when the defendant was Hunter Biden.
The only banana republic in American politics today is Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press corps and a congressional reporter for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, particularly social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of Society of Professional Journalists and American Political Science Association
