Jason Johnson says GOP treating insurrectionists ‘like mistress’: ‘Sleeping with her at night, don’t know her in public’
“They’re covered in it,” theGrio's Jason Johnson said on MSNBC's Deadline White House. “The scent of the insurrection is on every single one of them."
MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson made a humorous but compelling comparison on Republicans’ continued response to Jan. 6 Capitol Hill insurrection and its perpetrators. Johnson, who is also a contributor for theGrio, said GOP members are treating the rioters “like a mistress.”
The comments came as Johnson and Deadline White House host Nicolle Wallace discussed remarks made by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who failed to denounce plans for a Justice for J6 Rally that is scheduled to take place on Capitol Hill on Saturday.
“I believe they are well equipped to handle what may or may not occur,” Senator McConnell said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“It’s not a hurricane!” Wallace said of the rally. She noted that Republicans should have clearly told the protesters “Do not come.”
Johnson added, “Republicans are not ashamed enough of their constituents and how they have supported people who want to overthrow the government.”
He said, “The Republicans treat the insurrectionists like a mistress.”
“They’re laying down with her at night, they’re doing it in the dark. And then public, “I don’t know who this person is. Where did this come from? It’s makeup, I don’t know what it is!”
“They’re covered in it,” Johnson added as reported by Mediaite. “the scent of the insurrection is on every single one of them. It’s on their cheek, it’s on their lapel. So when they sit there and claim “I don’t know her” on national television, not only is it insulting to the men and women who risked their lives to keep them safe eight months ago, but it also encourages more dangerous people to engage in this behavior.
Since the Jan. 6 insurrection, Republicans have signaled they have no interest in forcefully condemning its participants who stormed the Capitol building in the name of former president Donald Trump and in an effort to stop the election count that declared Joe Biden the winner in the 2020 presidential election.
After Republicans in the Senate blocked an independent investigation by a nonpartisan commission in May, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her power as Speaker to appoint a congressional select committee to investigate the events leading up to and during the insurrection. The committee was to include both Democrats and Republicans, however, the bipartisan effort crashed and burned when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled his caucus from participation after Pelosi rejected some of his selections — some of whom voted to invalidate the 2020 Electoral College results.
Two Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, went against McCarthy’s wishes and have decided to serve on the committee. The majority of Republicans seemingly refuse to acknowledge the severity of Jan. 6. and its larger implications has left Democrats and others, like Johnson, incredibly frustrated.
A political scientist, Johnson is the author of the book, Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell. He is an associate professor of communication and journalist at Morgan State University and is a regular contributor to MSNBC, CNN, and theGrio.
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