Joe Scarborough on MSNBC took aim at House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), accusing him of perpetuating a series of falsehoods to downplay the severity of the January 6th insurrection.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who spearheaded legal efforts among House Republicans to challenge Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat, recently authorized the release of U.S. Capitol attack security footage. However, he chose to blur the faces of the rioters, citing concerns about potential retaliation and charges from the Department of Justice.
During the segment, Scarborough expressed his frustration, stating, “Lie after lie after lie – I would love to see his Bible. ‘Look at my Bible, that’s how I live.’ Lie after lie after lie. He’s lying about transparency.” He questioned Johnson’s commitment to full disclosure, highlighting that Johnson is only releasing “selected portions” of the footage.
Regarding the blurred faces, Scarborough argued that the FBI already possesses unedited footage, raising doubts about Johnson’s motives.
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“As far as the blurring of the faces, the FBI has all of the footage. They’ve got the footage. Who is he lying to? The press is not stupid enough to believe him. Is he insulting Republicans? Like, why would he lie like that? The FBI has all the footage, so the DOJ has all the footage. Who is he lying to? Maybe he’s just lying to himself, I don’t know. Again, it’s an interesting Bible he has there.”
“Who is he lying to? The press is not stupid enough to believe him. Is he insulting Republicans? Like, why would he lie like that? The FBI has all the footage, so the DOJ has all the footage. Who is he lying to? Maybe he’s just lying to himself, I don’t know. Again, it’s an interesting Bible he has there.”
In response, a spokesperson for Johnson clarified that the speaker aimed to shield participants from retaliation by unspecified non-governmental actors. However, Washington Post congressional correspondent Jacqueline Alemany suggested that Johnson’s stance was more about appeasing the MAGA base and solidifying his position within the House GOP.
Alemany commented, “This is Johnson trying to curry favor with a growing pocket of the House GOP conference that has been campaigning for freedoms for these insurrectionists.” She noted that Johnson, anticipating the end of his honeymoon period, sought to align himself with hardliners, especially those in the House Freedom Caucus, who advocate for the January 6th participants and claim mistreatment without evidence.
According to the Department of Justice, over 1,069 defendants have been charged in connection with the Capitol assault. At least 594 have pleaded guilty, and 98 have been convicted at trial, with an additional 24 pleading guilty.
