In a recent opinion piece, Democracy Docket, a platform dedicated to defending voting rights, has criticized newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, labeling him a "ringleader" among those who disputed the 2020 election results.
The article, penned by the platform's founder, Marc Elias, from whom the Democratic National Committee distanced itself in April, portrays Johnson as a prominent figure in the Republican faction denying the election outcome.
Elias wrote, "Other than former President Donald Trump, he is arguably the most culpable federal elected official in what transpired on Jan. 6, 2021." He further described Johnson as an "avid vote suppressor and an accomplished election denier," drawing parallels between him and figures like Jim Jordan and John Eastman.
Johnson, like Eastman, who faces indictment in Georgia, was a practicing lawyer before his congressional tenure. Elias asserts that Johnson "espoused dangerous and anti-democratic legal theories aimed at allowing Trump to remain in power in the aftermath of the 2020 election."
Elias highlighted a tweet from Johnson dated November 7, 2020, in which Johnson stated, "I have just called President Trump to say this: 'Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans' trust in the fairness of our election system.'"
Elias suggests that Johnson, confronted with the impending defeat of Trump, adopted a new strategy akin to Eastman's, embracing a legal theory that would permit Trump to disregard the election results.
Johnson, Elias notes, sent an email to House Republicans on December 9, 2020, urging them to support Texas in a lawsuit filed with the US Supreme Court challenging the election results in Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Elias contends that this move could have "disenfranchised more than 20 million voters and changed the outcome of the election."
Despite 126 Republican members endorsing the brief, the Supreme Court rejected the request. Elias argues, "Johnson had laid the legal groundwork for Republicans to reject the election results and gave a patina of legitimacy to the illegitimate aims of those set to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6."
Elias accuses Johnson of propagating "evermore unhinged and unconstitutional theories to justify the overturning of the certified results" in the lead-up to the certification of the election results on January 6. Following the Capitol riot, Johnson led 139 House members in voting against the certification of the election results.
Elias concludes, "No federal officeholder, other than Trump himself, bears more responsibility than Mike Johnson for the destruction and degradation of democracy we saw that day."
Johnson was elected House Speaker on October 25, succeeding Kevin McCarthy. He was the fourth nominee for the Republicans and received a unanimous vote from party members on the floor in the first round of voting.
This development comes as the Biden administration continues to pursue those allegedly involved in the January 6 riot, with over 1,000 individuals facing charges related to the event. Among those charged is Trump himself, who is facing a federal case brought forth by special counsel Jack Smith regarding his alleged role in the riots.
Login